A drift current is an electric current caused by the response of mobile charge carriers to an electric field. It is distinct from the diffusion contribution due to concentration gradients. At equilibrium in a p-n junction, the two contributions cancel although each can be nonzero.
Articles by others on the same topic
Drift current is a type of electric current that occurs in a semiconductor or conductor due to the movement of charge carriers (such as electrons and holes) in response to an applied electric field. When an electric field is established across a material, the charge carriers experience a force that causes them to accelerate and drift in the direction of the field. In a semiconductor, the drift current can be described using the mobility of the charge carriers.