please explain qualitatively: why do electrons in a semiconductor have greater mobility than holes?
1 Answer
physicsgirl | College Teacher | (Level 1) Adjunct Educator
In semiconductors, current is often visualized by the flow of electrons or positively charged holes from atom to atom in the material. However, only the electrons are actually free to move. The holes are positively charged ions that are created when an electron leaves the atom. The location of the hole changes when electrons leave one atome to fill the hole in another one.