DEFINITION OF TERMS

acceptor atom Atom with three valence electrons added to a semiconductor to reduce the
number of electrons in it, thus creating holes in the semiconductors valence band.
anode Positive terminal of a bipolar device.
anode The p region of a diode.
atom The smallest particle of an element that possesses the unique characteristics of that
element.
atomic number The number of protons in an atom.
avalanche The rapid buildup of conduction electrons due to excessive reverse-bias voltage.
avalanche breakdown The higher voltage breakdown in a zener diode.
barrier potential The amount of energy required to produce full conduction across the pn
junction in forward bias.
bias(ing) Fixed dc voltage applied to a circuit that is intended to set a devices operation at a
particular point on its characteristic curve.
bias The application of a de voltage to a diode, transistor, or other device to produce a desired
mode of operation.
breakdown The phenomenon of a sudden and drastic increase when a certain voltage is
reached across a device.
body resistance Inherent resistance of the block(s) of material composing an electronic
deviceone aspect of how a practical device deviates from ideal.
carbon A serniconductive material.
cathode Negative terminal of a bipolar device.
cathode The n region of a diode.
characteristics Set of graphs that display any operating feature of an electronic device, such as
collector current vs. collector-emitter voltage for a set of different base currents.
chip Common name for an integrated circuit. Many chips are cut from a single wafer of silicon
that has been doped and etched to form many elements and components.
common Path for current returning to the power supply from a circuit.

conduction electron A free electron.

conductor A material that conducts electrical current very well.
contact resistance Resistance at the contacts with the material of an electronic deviceone
aspect of how a practical device deviates from ideal.
core The central part of an atom, includes the nucleus and all but the valence electrons.
covalent Related to the bonding of two or more atoms by the interaction of their valence
electrons.
crystal A solid material in which the atoms are arranged in a symmetrical pattern.
depletion Application of an electric field that repels majority carriers in a volume of
semiconductor material.
depletion region Region near the junction of a semiconducting device that has few free carriers
because electrons and holes have combined.
depletion region The area near a pn junction on both sides that has no majority carriers.
die Another term for chip.
diode Two-terminal device that conducts unidirectionally.
diode A semiconductor device with a single pn junction that conducts current in only one
direction.
diode drop The voltage across the diode when it is forward- biased; approximately the same as
the barrier potential and typically 0.7 V for silicon.
donor atom Atom with five valence electrons added to a semiconductor to increase the
number of electrons in it.
donor level Energy level of the valence band in a semiconductor with doping, which reduces
the energy gap between the valence band and the conduction band.
doping Process of adding small quantities of particular impurities to an intrinsically pure
semiconductor in order to alter its conducting properties.
doping The process of imparting impurities to an intrinsic semi conductive material in order to
control its conduction characteristics.
dynamic resistance The nonlinear internal resistance of a semiconductive material.

electron The basic particle of negative electrical charge.

electron-hole pair The conduction electron and the hole created when the electron leaves the
valence band.
electron volt Energy required to move a charge of one electron through a potential difference
of 1 V; equals 1.602 x 10-19J.
equivalent circuit Combination of elements intended to mimic
the characteristics of an electronic device with mathematical aspects that are simpler than
those of the actual device.
extrinsic material Semiconducting material that has had its conducting properties altered by
doping; n-type material contains extra electrons; p-type material contains extra holes.
forward-bias Voltage applied to a p-n junction (positive to p, negative to n) that diminishes the
depletion region and increases the flow of majority carriers.
forward bias The condition in which a diode conducts current.
free Of electrons, those that are only loosely bound to an atom or ionthey are able to migrate
readily through a material under the application of small electric fields.
free electron An electron that has acquired enough energy to break away from the valance
band of the parent atom; also called a conduction electron.
germanium A semiconductive material.
hole Vacancy in a normally filled site in a valence shell or band, created by doping with an
acceptor atom. A hole is mobile and conducts as if it were a positive charge.
hole The absence of an electron in the valence band of an atom.
hybrid Involving the combination of unlike quantities or materials, as for example, voltage and
current.
hybrid IC Integrated circuit that is composed of monolithic components and either thin-film or
thick-film components.
insulator A material that does not conduct current.
integrated circuit (lC) A type of circuit in which all the components are constructed on a single
tiny chip of silicon.
IC component Package containing more than one electrical or electronic component in a single
package.

ideal diode Diode that conducts perfectly in one direction and not at all in the opposite
direction (zero resistance in one direction and infinite resistance in the opposite direction).
integrated circuit (IC) Collection of solid-state devices combined with other circuit elements
printed on a single chip.
intrinsic The pure or natural state of a material.
intrinsic carriers Charges constituting a current that are able to move simply because of the
nature of the material and its temperature.
ionization The removal or addition of an electron from or to a neutral atom so that the
resulting atom (called an ion) has a net positive or negative charge.
ionization Process by which an electron is removed from an atom by the application of some
form of energy.
ionization potential Electrical potential that is just sufficient to remove an electron from a shell
of its atom.
junction The area of contact between volumes of n- and p-type extrinsic material.
lattice Regular spacing in three-dimensions of atoms in a crystal.
leakage current Minority carrier current in a reverse-biased junction in the absence of injected
minority carriers.
majority carriers Charge carriers made abundant in the doping process of extrinsic material
electrons in n-type material or holes in p-type material.
majority carrier The most numerous charge carrier in a doped semiconductive material (either
free electrons or holes).
minority carriers Charge carriers that are deficient in extrinsic materialholes in n-type
material or electrons in p-type material.
minority carrier The least numerous charge carrier in a doped semiconductive material (either
free electrons or holes).
model Representation of a system (either concrete or abstract) intended to assist in
understanding the system, either by simplifying or emphasizing particular features of the
system. Consider the differences among model airplane, atomic model, and fashion
model. See also equivalent circuit.
monolithic IC Circuit in which all components are formed as pn junctions on or within a
semiconductor substrate.

neutron An uncharged particle found in the nucleus of an atom.

nucleus The central part of an atom containing protons and neutrons.
offset potential Potential difference at which a diode or transistor begins to conduct at
significant currents. It is also called the firing potential or threshold potential, and is symbolized
as VT
orbit The path an electron takes as it circles around the nucleus of an atom.
pentavalent Describes an atom with five valence electrons.
PIV Peak inverse voltage, the maximum reverse-bias potential that can be applied to a diode
before entering the Zener region;
peak inverse voltage (PIV) The maximum value of reverse voltage which occurs at the peak of
the input cycle when the diode is reversed-biased.
pn junction The boundary between two different types of semiconductive materials.
proton The basic particle of positive charge.
recombination The process of a free (conduction band) electron falling into a hole in the
valence band of an atom.
reverse-bias Voltage applied to a p-n junction (negative to p, positive to n) that enlarges the
depletion region and increases the flow of minority carriers.
reverse bias The condition in which a diode prevents current.
saturation (1) Condition in a semiconductor in which no further increase in current results, no
matter how much additional voltage is applied. (2) In a BJT, the state in which the voltage from
collector to emitter is a minimum, typically 100 mV. (3) In an FET, the state in which an increase
in the voltage from drain to source does not result in a significant increase in non-zero drain
current.
schematic A symbolized diagram representing an electrical or electronic circuit
semiconductor Any material that possesses a resistivity much higher than good conductors and
much lower than good insulators.
semiconductor A material that lies between conductors and insulators in its conductive
properties.
shell An energy band in which electrons orbit the nucleus of an atom.

silicon A semi conductive material.

tetravalent atom Atom containing four electrons in its (outer) valence shell.
thick-film IC Integrated circuit with passive elements deposited on a substrate using screening
and firing processes and active elements added on the surface as discrete components.
thin-film IC Integrated circuit with passive elements deposited on a substrate using a sputtering
or vacuum process and active elements added on the surface as discrete components.
threshold voltage Voltage level for a diode or transistor that results in a significant increase in
drain current.
trivalent Describes an atom with three valence electrons.
unipolar Device whose functioning involves only majority charge carriers.
valence Outer shell of an atom containing the electrons that determine the elements chemical
characteristics.
valence Related to the outer shell of an atom.
V-I characteristic A curve showing the relationship of diode voltage and current.
wafer Thin slice of semiconductor crystal on which many IC circuits (chips) are formed.
Zener potential The reverse-bias voltage at which a diode will experience a sharp increase in
reverse current.
Zener region Portion of the current-voltage characteristic of a diode which shows a sharp
increase in reverse current at the Zener potential.