geleidingsmobiliteit

Geleidingsmobiliteit, often translated as conductivity mobility, is a fundamental property in solid-state physics and materials science that describes how easily charge carriers, such as electrons or holes, can move through a material under the influence of an electric field. It is a key factor determining a material's electrical conductivity.

The concept of mobility is closely related to the average drift velocity of charge carriers. When an electric field is applied across a material, charge carriers experience a force that accelerates them. However, they do not accelerate indefinitely. Instead, they collide with imperfections in the crystal lattice, impurities, or other charge carriers, which scatter them and reduce their average velocity. Mobility quantifies this average drift velocity per unit electric field.

Mathematically, mobility (often denoted by the Greek letter mu, μ) is defined as the ratio of the drift velocity (vd) to the applied electric field (E): μ = vd / E. A higher mobility value indicates that charge carriers can move more freely within the material, leading to higher electrical conductivity. Conversely, a lower mobility suggests more frequent scattering events, hindering charge transport and resulting in lower conductivity.

Factors such as temperature, material purity, crystal structure, and the presence of defects significantly influence the mobility of charge carriers. In semiconductors, mobility is particularly crucial as it directly impacts the performance of electronic devices like transistors and diodes. Materials with high charge carrier mobility are desirable for high-speed electronic applications.