Why is Silicon Used for Electronic Devices?

RIDHAM SHAH


Why is Silicon Used for Electronic Devices?

As we all know, every electronic device is incomplete without an electronic circuit. The electronic circuit consists of many electrical components like transistors, LEDs, Diodes, ICs, etc. Now some have a question that how these electrical components are made and which material is used to build them? So the answer is Silicon yes, almost all the electrical components are made of silicon, So definitely you have a question why is Silicon used for Electronics Devices? In this article, we will be discussed top 5 reasons why silicon is used for Electronic devices.

First, we need to understand,

What is Silicon?

Silicon is a semiconductor with the atomic number 14 and belongs to the periodic table's group 4. Jones Jacob Berzelius was the first to prepare pure amorphous silicon in 1824, while Henry Etienne was the first to prepare crystalline silicon in 1854. Silicon is the best semiconductor in electronic devices.


Some of you have questions that,

What is Semiconductor?

Semiconductors are materials that have insulating properties in their pure state but conduct when doped or added with impurities. Between insulators (maximum bandgap) and conductors (minimum bandgap), semiconductors usually have a bandgap (energy required for electrons to break free from covalent bonds) (minimum bandgap). The movement of free electrons or holes in semiconductors causes conduction or the flow of charge.

You must be familiar with the periodic table's groups if you are familiar with it. Semiconductor materials are usually found in group 4 of the periodic table, but they can also be found in a mix of groups 3 and 6, or in a mix of groups 2 and 4. Silicon, germanium, and gallium-arsenide are the most commonly used semiconductors.
So, why is Silicon the most commonly used semiconductor material in electronics?


The following are the most important factors:

1. Silicon Abundance

The abundance of silicon is the primary reason for its popularity as a material of choice. Following oxygen, which makes up about 46 percent of the earth's crust, silicon makes up about 28 percent of the crust. Sand (silica) and quartz are the two most common forms.

2. Silicon Production

The silicon wafers used in the production of ICs and electronic components are made using efficient and cost-effective methods.
The following steps are used to make pure silicon or polysilicon:

  • In an electric furnace, quartz reacts with coke to produce metallurgical silicon, which is then converted to trichlorosilane (TCS) in fluidized bed reactors.
  • In an electric furnace, quartz reacts with coke to produce metallurgical silicon, which is then converted to trichlorosilane (TCS) in fluidized bed reactors. The final product is a poly-silicon rod.
  • The Czochralski method is then used to crystallize the polysilicon rod, yielding silicon crystals or ingots. Finally, these ingots are cut into wafers using ID or wire cutting methods.

3. Chemical Characteristics

Chemical properties refer to the characteristics that define how materials react with one another. The chemical properties of an element are directly related to its atomic structure. Crystalline Silicon has a diamond-like structure that is commonly used in electronics. Each unit cell is made up of eight atoms arranged in a bravais lattice. When compared to other materials like Germanium, pure silicon is extremely stable at room temperature.


Water, acid, and steam have the least effect on pure silicon. Also, when silicon is molten, it easily forms oxides, nitrides, and even alloys at higher temperatures.

4. Silicon Architecture

  • At 0 K, silicon has a moderate energy band gap of 1.12eV. When compared to Germanium, this makes silicon a more stable element and reduces the risk of leakage current. The reverse current is measured in nanoamperes and is extremely small.
  • Silicon's crystal structure is a face centric cubic lattice structure with a 34 percent packing density. This makes it simple to replace the atoms of impurities in the lattice's empty spaces. To put it another way, the doping concentration is quite high, around 1021atoms/cm3.
This also makes it easier to introduce impurities like oxygen as interstitial atoms within the crystal lattice. This gives the wafers a lot of mechanical strength against various stresses like thermal, mechanical, and gravitational.

5. Silicon Dioxide

The ease with which silicon forms oxides is the last but not least reason for its enormous popularity. When compared to other oxides like Germanium, which is water-soluble and decomposes at 800 degrees Celsius, silicon dioxide is the most widely used insulator in IC technology because of its extremely stable chemical nature.

Silicon Dioxide can be deposited using Silane and Oxygen or grown thermally using oxygen over silicon wafers at higher temperatures.
The material used is silicon dioxide.

  • Dielectrics for electronic devices are used in IC fabrication techniques such as etching, diffusion, and ion implantation.
  • for MOS and CMOS devices as an ultrathin layer As a result, CMOS devices with high input impedance have become increasingly popular.
  • MEMs technology in 3D devices


These are the top five reasons for silicon's increased use in electronics. We hope that by now you have a clear understanding of why silicon is used as a semiconductor material in the development of electronics-based projects.





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