bandgapbased

Bandgap-based technologies refer to a class of electronic, optoelectronic, and photonic devices that rely on the material’s energy bandgap as the primary functional parameter. The bandgap is the energy difference between the valence band and the conduction band in a semiconductor, determining its electrical conductivity and optical absorption characteristics.

Materials with a wide bandgap, such as silicon carbide, gallium nitride, and diamond, are favored for high‑power, high‑temperature and high‑frequency applications because their large bandgaps suppress leakage currents and allow operation at high electric fields. Narrow‑bandgap semiconductors, including indium arsenide and mercury cadmium telluride, are employed in infrared detectors and low‑bias photodetectors, while direct‑gap materials like gallium arsenide and indium phosphide are essential for light‑emitting diodes, laser diodes and high‑efficiency solar cells.

Bandgap engineering, the intentional modification of a material’s bandgap through alloying, strain, or quantum confinement, allows customization of device properties. For example, ternary alloys such as AlGaAs enable bandgap tuning across the visible spectrum, while quantum wells and dots introduce discrete energy levels that improve carrier confinement and radiative recombination efficiency.

In photovoltaics, bandgap‑based combinational cells, such as tandem devices, stack layers with different bandgaps to capture a broader portion of the solar spectrum, significantly boosting total conversion efficiency. Bandgap‑based sensors exploit the temperature or radiation dependence of a material’s bandgap to monitor environmental changes with high sensitivity.

Overall, bandgap-based technology provides a versatile foundation for modern electronic and photonic innovation, underpinning everything from power electronics and high‑speed logic to laser communication and solar energy harvesting.