What is the energy band diagram?

In solid-state physics of semiconductors, a band diagram is a diagram plotting various key electron energy levels (Fermi level and nearby energy band edges) as a function of some spatial dimension, which is often denoted x.

What causes band bending?

Band bending occurs when an electric field is applied to a semiconductor. When there isn’t an electric field being applied, the energy bands are not a function of position. Therefore, when an electric field is applied, energy is being supplied to the carriers in the material.

What is a forbidden band?

The region between the conduction and valence bands is called the forbidden band and, in pure crystals, electrons are not allowed to exist in this region. The forbidden band separates the conduction and valence band by a distance (energy) called the band gap.

What is a forbidden gap?

Forbidden energy gap, also known as band gap refers to the energy difference (eV) between the top of valence band and the bottom of the conduction band in materials. Current flowing through the materials is due to the electron transfer from the valence band to the conduction band.

Why do bands bend?

What is an e vs k diagram?

The E vs k is a dispersion diagram. Since it is a dispersion diagram you can look at the curvature of the diagram and determine other parameters such as the electron mobility, effective mass. Without getting into a lot detail, a crystal is a multi-body problem with forces from huge numbers of atoms.

What is the energy band diagram of a MOS?

The energy band diagram contains the electron energy levels in the MOS structure as deliniated with the fermi energy in the metal and semiconductor as well as the conduction and valence band edge in the oxide and the silicon. A typical diagram is shown under voltage bias in the following figure:

How are p-n energy bands related to Fermi levels?

P-N Energy Bands. For a p-n junction at equilibrium, the fermi levels match on the two sides of the junctions. Electrons and holes reach an equilibrium at the junction and form a depletion region. The upward direction in the diagram represents increasing electron energy. That implies that you would have to supply energy to get an electron…

How are band diagrams used in solid state physics?

In solid-state physics of semiconductors, a band diagram is a diagram plotting various key electron energy levels (Fermi level and nearby energy band edges) as a function of some spatial dimension, which is often denoted x. These diagrams help to explain the operation of many kinds of semiconductor devices and to visualize band bending.

What does a band diagram of an electron show?

While a basic band diagram only shows electron energy levels, often a band diagram will be decorated with further features. It is common to see cartoon depictions of the motion in energy and position of an electron (or electron hole) as it drifts, is excited by a light source, or relaxes from an excited state.