At room temperature, a p-type semiconductor has

Options

A. large number of holes and few electrons
B. large number of free electrons and few holes
C. equal number of free electrons and holes
D. large number of holes and electrons

Answer

To solve the question regarding the characteristics of a p-type semiconductor at room temperature, we can follow these steps:

### Step-by-Step Solution:

1. **Understanding P-Type Semiconductors**:
- A p-type semiconductor is formed by doping a pure semiconductor (like silicon) with a trivalent impurity (like aluminum). This means that the dopant has three valence electrons.

2. **Formation of Holes**:
- When a trivalent atom is introduced into the silicon lattice, it forms covalent bonds with the surrounding silicon atoms. However, since it has only three valence electrons, one silicon atom will not have a complete bond, resulting in a 'hole' (a vacancy where an electron could be).

3. **Charge Carriers in P-Type Semiconductors**:
- In a p-type semiconductor, holes act as the majority charge carriers because they are created in larger numbers due to the presence of the trivalent impurity.
- Electrons, which are the minority charge carriers, are present in much smaller quantities.

4. **Behavior at Room Temperature**:
- At room temperature, the thermal energy allows some electrons to jump from the valence band to the conduction band, but the number of holes remains significantly larger than the number of free electrons.

5. **Conclusion**:
- Therefore, the correct statement about a p-type semiconductor at room temperature is that it has a large number of holes and few electrons.

### Final Answer:
The correct option is: **Large number of holes and few electrons**.

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