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Why do we prefer silicon over germanium?

Why do we prefer silicon over germanium?

Why is silicon usually preferred to germanium in the manufacture of semiconductor devices? Silicon is abundant on the earth’s surface and therefore cheaper than germanium. The PIV (Peak Inverse Voltage) rating of silicon is much higher than germanium and therefore can withstand much higher temperatures than germanium.

Why silicon is used in semiconductor than germanium?

Silicon crystals have fewer free electrons than germanium crystals at room temperature, which is why silicon crystals are used for semiconductor devices. In general, the ICBO of germanium is 10-100 times greater than that of silicon, but the variation of ICBo at any temperature is lower for silicon than for germanium.

Why silicon is the best semiconductor?

The number of photons having energy higher than the silicon gap are the greatest on the solar spectra and that’s why silicon is the most known semiconductor material used for solar cells since its energy gap is about 1.1 ev, while the photons flux density is the highest for those carrying energy more than 1.1 ev.

Is germanium a better semiconductor than silicon?

There are several reasons Silicon has become the preferred semiconductor in the present, over Germanium. Silicon has large band gap (1.12eV) than germanium (0.7eV). So, at same temperature, the thermal pair generation in silicon is less than germanium. However, the germanium diode has one major advantage over Si.

Why is silicon usually preferred over germanium for fabrication of?

At room temperature, a silicon crystal has fewer free electrons than a germanium crystal. This implies that silicon will have much smaller collector cut off current ( ICBO) than that of germanium. In general, with germanium, ICBO is 10 to 100 times greater than with silicon.

Which is better silicon diodes or germanium diodes?

At room temperature, Silicon crystal has fewer free electrons than Germanium crystal. However, Silicon crystals are not easily damaged by excess heat. Peak Inverse Voltage ratings of Silicon diodes are greater than Germanium diodes. Si is less expensive due to the greater abundance of element Loading…

Which is more expensive, Si or germanium wafer?

Si is less expensive due to the greater abundance of element. The major raw material for Si wafer fabrication is sand and there is lots of sand available in nature. But there is a disadvantage for Silicon over Germanium. The potential Barrier of Silicon is more compared to Germanium.

What’s the difference between germanium and silicon ICBO?

The variation of ICBO with temperature is less in silicon as compared to germanium. A rough rule of thumb for germanium is that ICBO approximately doubles with each 8 to 10°C rise while in case of silicon, it approximately doubles with each 12°C rise. (iii) Greater working temperature.