why silicon is used in all aplications then germanium

[hem_wall]

silicon is used more than germanium?

can u please tell why silicon is used in all applications then germanium

 

[A.Anand Srinivasan]

why silica is used more compared to germanium

silicon is less noisy compared to germanium and mostly importantly it is much more easily available...

 

[Paramjyothi]

why is silicon used over germanium

Hello,

The advantages of Si over Ge are:

=> Stable and strong material & crystal structure like diamond
=> Si has a wider bandgap than Ge
=> higher operating temperature (125-175 oC vs. ~85 oC) and thus become intrinsic at higher temp.
=> Si readily forms a native oxide (SiO2) high-quality insulator protects and “passivates” underlying circuitry helps in patterning useful for dopant masking.
=>Large variety of process steps possible without the problem of decomposition (as in the case of compound semiconductors)
=> Si is cheap and abundant

Paramjyothi

 

[deepak242003]

what are the advantages of si and germanium

can u please tell why silicon is used in all applications then germanium

benefit is :

naturally available,
form oxide when exposed to air under controled temperature.. which can be used as dielectric....
can handle high temperature...
If anybody know other advantages??

 

[erikl]

silicon used germanium

Silicon is the second most abundant material in the Earth's crust (nearly 26%, s. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silicon ).

It's the best controlled material of the world, both in terms of available purity (impurity levels down to 1e-14) and of processing accuracy. And it's a semiconductor ;-)

 

[kumarghz]

why is silicon used instead of germanium

silicon ingot is simple to process compare to germanium. In other word silicon is cheaper.

regards,
kumar

 

[sutapanaki]

why silicon is mostly used compared to germanium

As pointed above Si has many advantages. The one that makes it preferable in mass production is the good SiO2 - the single most important property. Forming good oxide is paramount in the production of ICs.

 

[apandays]

Re: why is silicon used over germanium

One of the points you mentioned is that silicon has a larger band gap than silicon, in what way is this better

shouldn't this be better as we would then require lower power

Hello,

The advantages of Si over Ge are:

=> Stable and strong material & crystal structure like diamond
=> Si has a wider bandgap than Ge
=> higher operating temperature (125-175 oC vs. ~85 oC) and thus become intrinsic at higher temp.
=> Si readily forms a native oxide (SiO2) high-quality insulator protects and “passivates” underlying circuitry helps in patterning useful for dopant masking.
=>Large variety of process steps possible without the problem of decomposition (as in the case of compound semiconductors)
=> Si is cheap and abundant

Paramjyothi

 

[jeffrey samuel]

si mobility of electrons and holes are more stable and so they are preferred others have posted a lot and all are true

band gap is a second lesser concern but many devices made of si are more popular because of the band gap

 

[godfreyl]

Re: silicon is used more than germanium?

can u please tell why silicon is used in all applications then germanium

There are others too. For example gallium arsenide has been used for many years, and is better than silicon for some applications such as microwave devices.

More recently, silicon carbide devices have started to become popular. In a few years we may be using diamond semiconductors.

 

[jeffrey samuel]

based on the application and the purpose the material used varies GaAs GaAsP and SiC all have some unique features that serve in the device they are employed

 

[fredd]

Re: why is silicon used more than germanium?

for diodes, Si diodes in general have higher Peak Inverse Voltage (PIV) and current rating than Ge diodes.
hence a wider range of operation in terms of voltage and current capabilities.

 

[fredd]

Re: why is silicon used more than germanium?

One of the points you mentioned is that Silicon has a larger band gap than Germanium, in what way is this better?

I agree with you apandays.
Si having 1.11~1.12eV bandgap energy as compared to Ge having 0.66~0.67eV is actually not an advantage.

In semiconductor diodes, Si diodes have higher forward-bias voltage (or Vth) required to ON with typically 0.7V compared to Ge diodes with typically 0.3V.
This is a disadvantage for Si compared to Ge, especially if we compare it to the ideal diode having Vth=0V.

 

[jeffrey samuel]

there is a great disadvantage in it but we have learned to turn it over for the better good of man kind

the value of .7 V never was so significant till Si Diodes where brought into existent

i know that you will agree with me in it

Ge has other disadvantage that the temperature tolerance that proved a death kneel for it