How does arsenic create n-type silicon?
To create n-type silicon, a process called doping is used to intentionally introduce impurities into the pure silicon crystal lattice.12
Silicon atoms have four outer electrons, which they share with four neighboring atoms to form covalent bonds. When an arsenic atomâwhich is pentavalent, meaning it has five outer electronsâis substituted for a silicon atom in the crystal, four of its electrons participate in bonding with the surrounding silicon atoms.132
The fifth electron from the arsenic atom does not participate in a covalent bond and is instead "donated" to the conduction band. Because this added electron is free to move through the crystal, it increases the material's electrical conductivity. The silicon is then classified as n-type (n for negative) because the primary charge carriers are these negatively charged electrons, and the arsenic atom acts as a donor.1243