Semiconductor p-n and Metal-Semiconductor Junctions

Abstract

Until now, our discussion was based solely on homogeneous semiconductors whose properties are uniform in space. Although a few devices can be made from such semiconductors, the majority of devices and the most important ones utilize non-homogeneous semiconductor structures. Most of them involve semiconductor p-n junctions, in which a p-type doped region and an n-type doped region are brought into contact. Such a junction actually forms an electrical diode. This is why it is usual to talk about a p-n junction as a diode.