Improved value for the silicon intrinsic carrier concentration from 275 to 375 K

TLDR

Recent reviews indicate that the widely cited 1.45×10¹⁰ cm⁻³ value for silicon’s intrinsic carrier concentration at 300 K is inconsistent with best experimental data, prompting a proposal of a lower 1.08×10¹⁰ cm⁻³ value. This paper aims to determine a more accurate value of silicon’s intrinsic carrier concentration over 275–375 K using p‑n junction diode I–V measurements. The authors use current–voltage characteristics of p‑n junction diodes to derive the intrinsic carrier concentration across the temperature range. The one‑standard‑deviation uncertainty in the measurement of the intrinsic carrier concentration is estimated to lie in the 3%–4% range, about three times smaller than previous measurements at these temperatures, and the technique also provides information on minority carrier electron diffusivity in silicon.

Abstract

A recent review has suggested that the commonly cited value of 1.45×1010 cm−3 for the silicon intrinsic carrier concentration at 300 K is inconsistent with the best experimental data. An alternate value of 1.08×1010 cm−3 was proposed. From measurements of the current-voltage characteristics of p-n junction diodes, this paper reports a new and more accurate determination of this parameter over the 275–375 K temperature range which supports such lower values. The one-standard-deviation uncertainty in the measurement of the intrinsic carrier concentration is estimated to lie in the 3%–4% range, about three times smaller than previous measurements at these temperatures. Additionally, this technique provides information on the minority carrier electron diffusivity in silicon.