what is energy barrier ? explain with diagram
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Explanation:
Abstract
An energy barrier is a potential field that can be used to either localize or regulate the transfer of charged particles, for example, electrons. Energy barriers are central to the operation of every subsystem needed to form micron-scale systems such as the nanomorphic cell. This chapter makes manifest the fundamental properties underlying the formation and control of energy barriers in electronic devices; especially transistors and memory elements that are discussed in Chapter 3. It turns out that energy barriers are not perfect regulators of electron locality/transmission and two fundamental mechanisms by which unwanted transitions can occur are discussed. In one case, if the potential field defining the barrier is not high enough, thermally activated electrons can escape over the barrier. A second escape mechanism that can arise is due to quantum-mechanical tunneling of electrons through the barrier if it is not sufficiently wide. These phenomena are covered in some detail in the chapter. Energy barriers are also fundamental to the comprehension of the operation of pn-junctions that are formed at the boundary of two doped semiconductor materials. The pn-junction is a key element in elucidating the physics underlying the operation of light emitting and detecting devices for energy collection and for data transmission that are covered later in the text.