Question

Why band gap of silicon is more than germanium?

Answer 1

Band gap:

1. The electrons of the silicon atom are more tightly bound than the electrons of the germanium to the nucleus due to their small size.
2. Silicon can be worked at a higher temperature as compared to Germanium which is why Silicon is preferred over Germanium for semiconductors.
3. The structure of Germanium will be destroyed at high temperatures.
4. Due to its large size, the germanium atom's electrons are more loosely attached to the nucleus than those of silicon.
5. This explains why silicon has a larger band gap than germanium.

The structure of the silicon and germanium atom is given below: