acceptordopanten

Acceptordopanten, or acceptor dopants, are impurities deliberately introduced into a semiconductor lattice to create holes. They are typically substitutional dopants that have fewer valence electrons than the host atoms. This creates an acceptor energy level near the valence band. At finite temperatures, electrons from the valence band can be captured by the acceptor, leaving behind mobile holes that contribute to p-type conductivity.

Common acceptor dopants include boron, aluminum, gallium, and indium in silicon; in III–V and related semiconductors, elements such as zinc or magnesium can serve as acceptors. The acceptor levels are generally shallow, meaning they ionize readily at room temperature and increase the hole concentration without severely disturbing the lattice.

Methods to introduce acceptor dopants include diffusion from a dopant source, ion implantation followed by annealing, and during crystal growth by incorporating the dopant. Annealing helps activate the dopants and repair lattice damage caused by processing. Compensation by unintended donor impurities can reduce effective p-type conductivity.

Applications of acceptordopanten are widespread in electronics and optoelectronics. They form the p-type regions of diodes and transistors, enable pn junctions and bipolar devices, and are used in solar cells and light-emitting devices. The choice and concentration of acceptor dopants determine the level of hole concentration and device performance, as well as issues such as carrier mobility and compensation.