Verified Solution • 2025–26 Session moderate

QPages 419-421: Q17: HC Verma: Concepts of Physics - Volume 2 Semiconductors and Semiconductor Devices Pages 419-421: Q17 Solution: The potential barrier existing across an unbiased p-n junction…

⚠️ Common Exam Traps & Conceptual Pitfalls

Students often treat the 0.2 V barrier as a pure voltage and forget that the required kinetic energy is $q\times V$; for a hole $q=+e$, so the barrier height in electron‑volts equals the voltage value. Consequently they may add or subtract the bias incorrectly or ignore the sign of the hole charge, leading to wrong energy values.

The potential barrier existing across an unbiased p-n junction is 0.2 volt. What minimum kinetic energy a hole should have to diffuse from the p-side to the n-side if a) the junction is unbiased, b) the junction is forward-biased at 0.1 volt and c) the junction is reverse-biased at 0.1 volt?

Step-by-Step Verified Solution

**Answer:** (a) 0.2 eV (b) 0.1 eV (c) 0.3 eV. **Step-by-Step Explanation:** Given: Barrier = 0.2 V. (a) Unbiased: minimum KE = 0.2 eV. (b) Forward-biased at 0.1 V: barrier reduced to 0.2 - 0.1 = 0.1 eV. (c) Reverse-biased at 0.1 V: barrier increased to 0.2 + 0.1 = 0.3 eV .

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