2. Physical phenomena involved in power semiconductor components

The behavior of electrical components is complex to study, and it's hard to ignore semiconductor physics to understand how they work. In fact, their performance and imperfections are determined by the laws of semiconductor physics.

Materials such as silicon (Si), germanium (Ge) and carbon (C) share a common proximity to the column of the periodic table. Silicon is a valence 4 element, which means it has 4 free electrons on its last layer; it is therefore said to be tetravalent.

As the elements boron (B) and phosphorus (P) are located in neighboring columns, it is possible for them, when introduced in small proportions into the semiconductor material, to either give up an electron or capture one. In the first case, a donor impurity is inserted, enriching the semiconductor with free electrons, resulting in n-type doping. The most common donor...