Which of the following is true about the charge acquired by p-type semiconductors ?

Options

A. positive
B. neutral
C. negative
D. depends on concentration of p-type impurity

Explanation

To determine the charge acquired by p-type semiconductors, we can follow these steps:

### Step 1: Understand Semiconductors
- Semiconductors are materials that have electrical conductivity between conductors (metals) and insulators (non-metals). Their conductivity can be enhanced through a process called doping.

**Hint:** Remember that semiconductors can be either n-type or p-type based on the type of doping.

### Step 2: Identify the Doping Elements
- Doping involves adding impurities to the semiconductor material to change its electrical properties. For p-type semiconductors, elements from group III of the periodic table (like boron or gallium) are used as dopants.

**Hint:** Group III elements have fewer valence electrons than silicon, which has four.

### Step 3: Analyze the Doping Process
- When silicon (which has four valence electrons) is doped with a group III element (which has three valence electrons), one of the silicon atoms will have a "hole" or absence of an electron. This creates a positive charge carrier known as a "hole".

**Hint:** A hole can be thought of as a positive charge because it represents the absence of a negatively charged electron.

### Step 4: Conclude the Charge of P-Type Semiconductors
- In p-type semiconductors, the majority charge carriers are holes, which are positively charged. Therefore, the charge acquired by p-type semiconductors is positive.

**Hint:** Focus on the concept of holes as positive charge carriers in p-type semiconductors.

### Final Answer:
The charge acquired by p-type semiconductors is positive due to the presence of holes created by doping with elements from group III.