Concept:
Semiconductors are materials whose electrical conductivity lies between conductors and insulators. Their conductivity depends strongly on temperature and doping.
Step 1: Intrinsic Semiconductor
An intrinsic semiconductor is a pure semiconductor without any intentional impurity doping.
Step 2: Extrinsic Semiconductor
An extrinsic semiconductor is formed by adding impurities (doping) to intrinsic semiconductors to increase conductivity.
Step 3: Key Differences(i) Purity
- Intrinsic: Pure material (Si, Ge)
- Extrinsic: Impurity added (donor or acceptor atoms)
(ii) Charge carriers
- Intrinsic: Equal electrons and holes ($n = p$)
- Extrinsic: Unequal carriers; majority and minority carriers exist
(iii) Conductivity
- Intrinsic: Low conductivity
- Extrinsic: High conductivity due to doping
(iv) Dependence
- Intrinsic: Depends mainly on temperature
- Extrinsic: Depends on temperature and doping concentration
Final Answer:
Intrinsic and extrinsic semiconductors differ mainly in purity and charge carrier concentration.