Heterojunctions are created by layering different semiconductors with alternating gap bands, and can boost energy produced by electrical devices. There are three types of heterojunctions, which depend on the energy gap created. They are used in lasers, high-speed electronic devices, and are produced through precise processes like CVD and MBE.
A heterojunction is created when two different layers of crystalline semiconductors are placed in conjunction or layered together with alternating or dissimilar gap bands. Primarily used in solid-state electrical devices, heterojunctions can also be formed between two semiconductors with different properties, such as one that is crystalline while the other is metallic. When the function of an electrical device or device application depends on more than one heterojunction, they are brought into formation to create what is called a heterostructure. These heterostructures are used to boost the energy produced by various electrical devices, such as solar cells and lasers.
There are three different types of heterojunctions. When these interfaces between semiconductors are created, they can form what is called a straddling gap, an offset gap, or an interrupted gap. These different types of heterojunctions depend on the energy gap that is created as a result of the specific semiconductor materials.
The amount of energy a material can produce is directly relevant to the size of the energy gap created by the heterojunction. The type of energy gap also matters. This energy gap consists of the difference between the valence band, produced by one semiconductor, and the conduction band, produced by the other.
Heterojunctions have been standard in every laser manufactured since the science of heterojunctions has become the standard throughout the industry. The heterojunction allows for the production of lasers capable of operating at normal room temperature. This science was first introduced in 1963 by Herbert Kroemer, although it didn’t become the standard science in the laser manufacturing industry until years later, when current materials science caught up with mainstream technology.
Today, heterojunctions are a vital building block for every laser, from cutting lasers in CNC machines to lasers that play DVD movies and audio compact discs. Heterojunctions are also used in high-speed electronic devices that operate at very high frequencies. An example is a high electron mobility transistor, which performs most of its functions above 500 GHz.
The production of many of the heterojunctions today occurs through a precise process called CVD or chemical vapor deposition. MBE, which stands for molecular beam epitaxy, is another process used to produce heterojunctions. Both of these processes are extremely precise in nature and very expensive to conduct, especially when compared to the mostly obsolete process of silicon fabrication of semiconductor devices, although silicon fabrication is still very popular in other applications.
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