Deck 1: Fundamental Solid-State Principles

Question 1

Gold has one valence electron, tin has four valence electrons, and argon has eight valence electrons. Which of these elements has the highest conductivity?

A) Gold
B) Tin
C) Argon

Answer 1

Gold

Question 2

The difference between the energy levels of two orbital shells is called the

A) conduction gap.
B) energy band.
C) valence band.
D) energy gap.

Answer 2

energy gap.

Question 3

N-type materials are electrically in their natural state.

A) negative
B) positive
C) neutral

Answer 3

neutral

Question 4

Doping is used to

A) decrease the conductivity of an intrinsic semiconductor.
B) increase the conductivity of an intrinsic semiconductor.
C) limit the conductivity of an intrinsic semiconductor.

Question 5

Which of the following statements is true?

A) Electrons cannot continually orbit the nucleus of an atom in the space that exists between orbital shells.
B) There is no specific energy level that is associated with a given orbital shell.
C) If an electron jumps from an orbital shell to one that has a higher energy level, it remains in the higher-energy shell permanently.

Question 6

The time between the forming of an electron-hole pair and recombination is called

A) charge time.
B) recombination time.
C) lifetime.
D) conduction time.

Question 7

When pentavalent elements are used in doping, the resulting material is called material and has an excess of .

A) n-type; valence-band holes
B) n-type; conduction-band electrons
C) p-type; valence-band holes
D) p-type; conduction-band electrons

Question 8

P-type materials are electrically in their natural state.

A) negative
B) positive
C) neutral

Question 9

Which of the following is not a commonly used semiconductor in electronic applications?

A) Carbon
B) Lead
C) Silicon
D) Germanium

Question 10

A depletion layer acts as a/an

A) insulator.
B) semiconductor.
C) conductor.

Question 11

Which of the following is a result of covalent bonding in intrinsic silicon?

A) Atoms are held together.
B) The atoms are electrically stable.
C) The material acts as an insulator.
D) All of the above are results of the bonding.

Question 12

When trivalent elements are used in doping, the resulting material is called material and has an excess of .

A) n-type; valence-band holes
B) n-type; conduction-band electrons
C) p-type; valence-band holes
D) p-type; conduction-band electrons

Question 13

As a result of covalent bonding, intrinsic silicon effectively acts as a/an

A) insulator.
B) semiconductor.
C) conductor.

Question 14

The nucleus of an atom contains

A) protons and electrons.
B) neutrons and electrons.
C) neutrons and protons.
D) neutrons, protons, and electrons.

Question 15

In an n-type material, the majority carriers are

A) conduction-band electrons.
B) conduction-band holes.
C) valence-band electrons.
D) valence-band holes.
E) neutral atoms.

Question 16

Which semiconductor element is most often used in the production of solid state devices?

A) Carbon
B) Lead
C) Silicon
D) Germanium

Question 17

Pentavalent elements have valence electrons).

A) one
B) three
C) five
D) eight

Question 18

Trivalent elements have valence electrons).

A) one
B) three
C) five
D) eight

Question 19

In a p-type material, the minority carriers are

A) conduction-band electrons.
B) conduction-band holes.
C) valence-band electrons.
D) valence-band holes.
E) charged atoms.

Question 20

Conduction through a material with a positive temperature coefficient tends to as temperature increases.

A) increase
B) decrease
C) remain relatively unchanged

Question 21

Which of the following is not a trivalent doping element?

A) Aluminum
B) Arsenic
C) Boron
D) Gallium

Question 22

Why is silicon more commonly used than germanium in the production of solid-state components?

A) It is cheaper.
B) It is easier to produce.
C) It is more tolerant of heat.
D) All of the above.

Question 23

What type of junction bias is shown?

A) Forward bias
B) Reverse bias
C) Zero bias

Question 24

A p-type material is joined with an n-type material. When forward biased, the voltage across the junction is approximately 700 mV 0.7 V). The two materials are most likely made of

A) silicon.
B) germanium.
C) carbon.
D) lead.

Question 25

When a pn junction is reverse biased, its resistance is

A) high.
B) low.
C) determined by the components that are external to the device.

Question 26

When a pn junction is forward biased, the depletion layer is at its width and the device acts as a near-perfect .

A) minimum; conductor
B) minimum; insulator
C) maximum; conductor
D) maximum; insulator

Question 27

The small amount of current that is present at the forming of a pn junction is called

A) knee current.
B) diffusion current.
C) barrier current.
D) depletion current.

Question 28

The simplest model of the atom is called the

A) covalent bond model.
B) conduction bond model.
C) Bohr model.
D) energy gap model.

Question 29

The voltage across a forward-biased germanium pn junction is approximately

A) 0.1 V.
B) 0.3 V.
C) 0.7 V.
D) 0.8 V.

Question 30

Pentavalent atoms are often referred to as

A) donor atoms.
B) minority carriers.
C) acceptor atoms.
D) majority carriers.

Question 31

Which of the following is an advantage of transistors over vacuum tubes?

A) Transistors are smaller.
B) Transistors use more power.
C) Transistors are fragile.
D) All of the above

Question 32

When a pn junction is reverse biased, the depletion layer is at its width and the device acts as a near-perfect .

A) minimum; conductor
B) minimum; insulator
C) maximum; conductor
D) maximum; insulator

Question 33

A pn junction is forward biased when

A) the applied potential causes the n-type material to be more positive than the p-type material.
B) the applied potential causes the n-type material to be more negative than the p-type material.
C) both materials are at the same potential.
D) Both A and C above.

Question 34

When a pn junction is forward biased, the combined resistance of the p-type and n-type materials is called

A) net resistance.
B) total resistance.
C) bulk resistance.
D) forward resistance.

Question 35

Trivalent atoms are often referred to as

A) donor atoms.
B) minority carriers.
C) acceptor atoms.
D) majority carriers.