Question

energy gap between valence band and conduction band in a silicon semiconductor is​

Answer 1

Energy Bands of Silicon. Silicon is a semiconductor material whose number of free electrons is less than conductor but more than that of an insulator. ... There is a gap of energy between the conduction band and the valence band. This difference of energy is called forbidden energy gap.

Answer 2

Answer:

In insulators the electrons in the valence band are separated by a large gap from the conduction band, in conductors like metals the valence band overlaps the conduction band, and in semiconductors there is a small enough gap between the valence and conduction bands that thermal or other excitations can bridge the gap.