Question

8.
Silicon is preferred over Germanium because :​

Answer 1

Answer:

The reasons behind this are:-

• At room temperature, Silicon crystal has fewer free electrons than Germanium crystal. This implies that silicon will have much smaller Collector cut off current than Germanium.
• The variation of Collector cut off current with temperature is less in Silicon compared to Germanium.
• The structure of Germanium crystals will be destroyed at higher temperature. However, Silicon crystals are not easily damaged by excess heat.
• Peak Inverse Voltage ratings of Silicon diodes are greater than Germanium diodes.
• Si is less expensive due to the greater abundance of element. The major raw material for Si wafer fabrication is sand and there is lots of sand available in nature.