Why silicon is preferred more than germanium?

There are several reasons Silicon has become the preferred semiconductor in the present, over Germanium. Silicon has large band gap (1.12eV) than germanium (0.7eV). So, at same temperature, the thermal pair generation in silicon is less than germanium. However, the germanium diode has one major advantage over Si.

Why don’t we use Germanium in semiconductors?

The variation of Collector cut off current with temperature is less in Silicon compared to Germanium. The structure of Germanium crystals will be destroyed at higher temperature. However, Silicon crystals are not easily damaged by excess heat.

Is Germanium more expensive than silicon?

Thus Silicon, which is more abundant and less expensive than Germanium became the standard material and is still being used today and for the foreseable future. Silicon Benefits: Low Reverse Leakage Current. Good Temperature Stability.

What are the advantages of Sillicon over germanium?

What are the advantages of silicon over germanium? Cost-effective: Silicon is relatively easy and inexpensive to procure and process, while germanium is a rare material that is typically found in copper, lead or silver deposits. Due to its rarity, working with germanium is more expensive, making it harder (and sometimes more expensive) to find

What is the difference between silicon and germanium?

The key difference between silicon and germanium is that the Germanium has d electrons, but Silicon does not have any d electrons. Silicon and germanium, are both in the same group (group 14) of the periodic table.

What is bond between silicon and germanium?

Silicon and Germanium are examples of covalent crystals. In these solids the atoms are linked to each other by covalent bonds rather than by electrostatic forces or by delocalized valence electrons that work in metals almost like a “glue”. The most classic example of covalent crystal is the diamond that belongs to the fcc cubic crystal system.

Is germanium a good semiconductor of electricity?

An example of a semiconductor is silicon. A material that is neither a good conductor of electricity nor a good insulator, but has properties of electrical conductivity somewhere between the two. Silicon and germanium are good semiconductor materials .