Imperfections and Active Centres in Semiconductors

Imperfections and Active Centres in Semiconductors discusses principles of semiconduction theory in terms of the band model, and electrical properties as regards chemical or physical defects in the lattice structures. The book reviews the fundamental concepts of semiconductor crystals, semiconduction, silicon, and the atomic lattice of germanium. The Frenkel defect accounts for displaced atoms in the lattice that move into spaces between normal atom positions. The text describes dislocations or line defects, the motion and generation of dislocations, as well as the geometry of the dislocations in the diamond. Honrstra (1958), who shows the geometry of the dislocation structures through a diagram, also describes the geometry of more complicated types of dislocation in the diamond lattice. The book explains X-ray diffraction and crystal imperfections in which the amount of X-radiation reflected from a crystal specimen depends on the perfection or on the atomic structure of the reflecting planes. The electron microscope can reveal more detail in higher resolution, for example, the actual arrangement of the molecules around an edge dislocation has been exposed in a platinum phthalocyanine crystal. The book also describes the fabrication of semiconductor devices where the crystals are cut with an abrasive saw and then ground with fine abrasive. The text can be used by physicists, engineers, or technologists in the allied fields of solid state physics and materials engineering.