Verified Solution • 2025–26 Session moderate

QPages 417-418: Q8: HC Verma: Concepts of Physics - Volume 2 Semiconductors and Semiconductor Devices Pages 417-418: Q8 Solution: The drift current in a p-n junction is

⚠️ Common Exam Traps & Conceptual Pitfalls

Students often confuse the direction of carrier motion with the direction of conventional current, especially mixing drift with diffusion. In a p‑n junction the built‑in electric field causes electrons to move toward the n‑side and holes toward the p‑side, but both contribute to a conventional current that flows from the n‑side to the p‑side; remember drift current follows the field direction for holes and opposite for electrons, yielding the same net current direction.

The drift current in a p-n junction is

Multiple Choice Options

  • A from the n-side to the p-side
  • B from the p-side to the n-side
  • C from the p-side to the n-side if the junction is forward-biased and the opposite direction if it is reverse-biased
  • D from the p-side to the n-side if the junction is forward-biased and in the opposite direction if it is reverse-biased.

Step-by-Step Verified Solution

**Answer:** (a) from the n-side to the p-side. **Step-by-Step Explanation:** The drift current in a p-n junction is from the n-side to the p-side (due to minority carriers).

All Questions in this Chapter

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