ABSTRACT
This chapter aims to introduce the basic properties of a wide range of semiconducting elements and compounds. It describes the crystal structures and phase chemistries of semiconductors, and presents the structure and properties of point defects and dislocations. The chapter considers the role that point defects play in determining the dominant mechanism and the kinetics of the diffusion processes in semiconductors. It highlights how the structure of, and characteristic defect concentration in, a semiconductor crystal control its electrical properties. The chapter focuses on describing the basic features of the equilibrium phase diagrams of the common binary compound semiconductors. It shows that the dependence of the concentration of charged vacancy acceptor defects on the doping level has important consequences for the diffusion kinetics in silicon. The phenomenon of diffusion in semiconductors is much more complex than in metals. The chapter discusses amorphous and polymeric semiconductors.
