1. Tardigrade
  2. Question
  3. Physics
  4. The depletion layer in the p-n junction region is caused by

Question Error Report

Thank you for reporting, we will resolve it shortly

Back to Question

Q. The depletion layer in the $p-n$ junction region is caused by

AMUAMU 2015Semiconductor Electronics: Materials Devices and Simple Circuits

Solution:

When a $p$ - $n$ junction is formed, some of the free electrons in the $n$ region diffuses across the junction and combine with holes to form negative ions. In doing so they leave behind positive ions at the donor impurity sites. Similarly, holes from p side diffuse to the $n$ side and thus form a layer called diffusion layer at the junction. So the depletion region is caused by the diffusion of charge carriers.