Semiconductor Basic
What is the smallest particle of an element that retains its characteristics?
An atom
What is the formula for the maximum number of electrons in a shell?
Ne = 2n²
What is the boundary formed between p-type and n-type semiconductor regions?
A pn junction
What rectifier uses a single diode and converts only one half of the AC cycle to DC?
A half-wave rectifier
What clipper has the diode in series with the load, eliminating one half of the input waveform?
A series clipper
What is the outermost shell whose electrons determine a material's electrical properties?
The valence shell
What energy region must an electron reach to become free and move through a material?
The conduction band
What charge-depleted region forms near the pn junction when electrons diffuse across it?
The depletion region
How many diodes does a center-tapped full-wave rectifier require?
Two diodes
What component in a shunt clipper prevents the forward-biased diode from shorting the source?
R1 (current-limiting resistor)
What condition makes germanium less stable than silicon as a semiconductor?
High temperature
What type of bond is formed when silicon atoms share electrons with their four neighbours?
A covalent bond
What bias condition allows current to flow through the diode?
Forward bias
In a bridge rectifier, which diodes are OFF when D1 and D2 are conducting?
D3 and D4
What type of clipper uses a DC source to clip at a voltage other than 0.7V?
A biased clipper
What is the process by which a neutral atom loses a valence electron and becomes positively charged?
Ionization
What is a pure semiconductor with no added impurities, where electrons and holes exist in equal numbers?
An intrinsic semiconductor
What does a forward-biased ideal diode act as?
A closed (on) switch
What component is added after a rectifier to reduce ripple in the DC output?
A capacitor filter
What property remains identical when a clamping circuit shifts the output to a different DC level?
The waveform shape
What class of materials includes silicon, germanium, and carbon?
Single-element semiconductors
What type of extrinsic semiconductor is created by doping silicon with phosphorus?
N-type semiconductor
What special diode operates safely in reverse breakdown to maintain a constant voltage?
A Zener diode
What ratio measures how much undesirable AC ripple remains in the rectifier output?
The ripple factor
What value does the capacitor charge to during the first positive half cycle in a positive clamping circuit?
Vm (peak voltage)