Silicon, Semiconductors, & Solar Cells: Crash Course Engineering #22

Today we’re looking at silicon, and how introducing small amounts of other elements allow silicon layers to conduct currents, turning them into semiconductors. We’ll explore how putting two different types – N and P semiconductors – together gives us electrical components like diodes, transistors, and solar cells.

Crash Course Engineering is produced in association with PBS Digital Studios.

RESOURCES:

• https://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/1956/
• https://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/1972/
• https://www.explainthatstuff.com/howtransistorswork.html
• https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/resources/highschool/chemmatters/past-issues/archive-2013-2014/how-a-solar-cell-works.html
• http://butane.chem.uiuc.edu/pshapley/Environmental/L9/2.html