Sähkösisäjohtavuus

Sähkösisäjohtavuus, often translated as intrinsic conductivity, refers to the electrical conductivity of a material in its pure, undoped state. This means the material contains only its native charge carriers, without the addition of impurities or dopants that are intentionally introduced to alter its conductivity.

In semiconductors, intrinsic conductivity is a function of temperature and the material's band gap. At absolute zero temperature, an intrinsic semiconductor behaves as an insulator. As temperature increases, thermal energy excites electrons from the valence band to the conduction band, creating electron-hole pairs. Both electrons and holes contribute to the conductivity. The concentration of these intrinsic charge carriers is equal for electrons and holes.

In contrast to extrinsic semiconductors, where conductivity is dominated by intentionally added dopants, intrinsic semiconductors have a much lower conductivity at room temperature. Their conductivity is highly sensitive to temperature changes. Materials like pure silicon and germanium are examples of intrinsic semiconductors. Understanding intrinsic conductivity is fundamental to grasping the behavior of semiconductor devices and the principles of solid-state physics. It provides a baseline for understanding how doping affects electrical properties.