Semiconductors, general properties

This presentation starts with a general description of the electronic energy structure of insulators. This is the background of basic semiconductor features including the bands and the forbidden gap, the effective mass, the mobility and doping with donors or acceptors. Then, the rectification mechanisms of Schottky barriers and p-n junctions are outlined. The next part is a short presentation of some important semiconducting materials. Finally, optical properties are discussed together with their use for devices.