Editing Charge carrier (section)

=== Majority and minority carriers ===
The more abundant charge carriers are called '''majority carriers''', which are primarily responsible for [[current (electricity)|current]] transport in a piece of semiconductor. In [[n-type semiconductor]]s they are electrons, while in [[p-type semiconductor]]s they are holes. The less abundant charge carriers are called '''minority carriers'''; in n-type semiconductors they are holes, while in p-type semiconductors they are electrons.<ref>{{cite web
 |url=https://www.physics-and-radio-electronics.com/electronic-devices-and-circuits/semiconductor/majority-and-minority-carriers.html
 |title=Majority and minority charge carriers
 |access-date=May 2, 2021}}</ref> The concentration of holes and electrons in a doped semiconductor is governed by the [[Mass action law (electronics)|mass action law]].

In an [[intrinsic semiconductor]], which does not contain any impurity, the concentrations of both types of carriers are ideally equal. If an intrinsic semiconductor is [[doping (semiconductor)|doped]] with a donor impurity then the majority carriers are electrons. If the semiconductor is doped with an acceptor impurity then the majority carriers are holes.<ref>{{cite web
 |url=http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/Solids/dope.html
 |title=Doped Semiconductors
 |access-date=May 1, 2021
 |first=R.
 |last=Nave}}</ref>

Minority carriers play an important role in [[Bipolar junction transistor|bipolar transistors]] and [[solar cell]]s.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://inst.eecs.berkeley.edu/~ee105/sp04/handouts/lectures/Lecture21.pdf|title=Lecture 21: BJTs|access-date=May 2, 2021|first=J. S.|last=Smith}}</ref> Their role in [[field-effect transistor]]s (FETs) is a bit more complex: for example, a [[MOSFET]] has p-type and n-type regions. The transistor action involves the majority carriers of the [[field-effect transistor|source]] and [[Field-effect transistor|drain]] regions, but these carriers traverse the [[field-effect transistor|body]] of the opposite type, where they are minority carriers. However, the traversing carriers hugely outnumber their opposite type in the transfer region (in fact, the opposite type carriers are removed by an applied electric field that creates an [[Inversion layer (semiconductors)|inversion layer]]), so conventionally the source and drain designation for the carriers is adopted, and FETs are called "majority carrier" devices.<ref>{{cite web
 |url=https://www.eetimes.com/back-to-the-basics-of-power-mosfets/
 |title=Back to the basics of power MOSFETs
 |date=February 22, 2007
 |access-date=May 2, 2021
 |first=Dan|last=Tulbure
 |publisher=EE Times}}</ref>