Physics Electronics PMDC Conceptual Practice
PMDC Verified Question 429 of 494
What is the net electrical charge of an isolated piece of N-type or P-type extrinsic semiconductor material at room temperature?
A
Electrically neutral (zero net charge)
B
Positively charged for N-type and negatively charged for P-type
C
Negatively charged for N-type and positively charged for P-type
D
Continuously alternating between positive and negative charge states
Tap any option to test your recall and reveal the step-by-step Propolis autopsy.

Propolis Cognitive Error Autopsy

Official Correct Choice:
Option A: Electrically neutral (zero net charge)
Concept:

Doping adds neutral impurity atoms to a neutral host crystal lattice, preserving overall electrical neutrality.

Formula:

$$q_{\text{total}} = e(p - n + N_D^+ - N_A^-) = 0$$

Solution:

  • In N-type material, negative free electrons are balanced by an equal number of positive donor ions (\( N_D^+ \)) fixed in the lattice.


  • In P-type material, positive mobile holes are balanced by an equal number of negative acceptor ions (\( N_A^- \)) fixed in the lattice.


  • Because every mobile charge is balanced by an immobile dopant ion, the bulk semiconductor remains electrically neutral.


Why other options are incorrect:

  • Options B & C: These confuse mobile majority carrier charge with the net charge of the entire material (which includes the compensating dopant ions).
  • Option D: The material is in a stable electrostatic equilibrium with zero net charge.

Quality & Fidelity Assurance: Every question on BeambePrep is rigorously curated against the official PMDC syllabus with zero filler, zero out-of-syllabus content, and zero typos. When an authentic past paper originally contained a historical mistake or ambiguity from the examining board (such as UHS or NUMS), BeambePrep faithfully reflects the original paper while detailing the nuance and scientific consensus in the autopsy above.

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