Question

The resistance of a semiconductor ___________ with increase in temperature.

Answer 1

1. The resistance measures the difficulty the charge is facing in passing through the given conductor.
2. The reciprocal of resistance is called conductance.
3. It gives the ease of flow of charges through a given conductor.
4. In semiconductors, the conductance is due to the electrons in the conduction band.
5. As the temperature increases, the electrons in the valence band excite and jump into the conduction band.
6. So, the conductance increases resulting in a decrease in resistance.

Hence, the resistance of a semiconductor decreases with an increase in temperature.