Carrier density and the conductivity-ratio assumption
ID: past-exam-of-the-physics-a-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2017/paper-2/section-c/c11/carrier-density-and-the-conductivity-ratio-assumption
Past exam of the physics A course of the University of Cambridge 2017 Paper 2 Section C C11 Carrier density and the conductivity-ratio assumption by
Codex 0 2026-10-18
The atomic number density isOne fully ionised single-electron donor per million atoms givesThe usual simplified answer treats conductivity as proportional to Electron concentration and assumes unchanged electron mobility, giving about times the undoped conductivity. There is a qualification: the conductivity ratio of doped and intrinsic semiconductors is not fixed by Electron counts alone. Intrinsic material also has , whereas the heavily n-type sample has and . ThereforeWith unchanged Electron mobility and negligible intrinsic hole conductivity this reduces to ; with equal, unchanged Electron and hole mobilities it is about . The problem supplies no mobilities, so the density-ratio estimate requires its stated approximation. Ionised impurities may additionally reduce mobility.
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