Semiconductors have an electrical resistivity that is in between those of good conductors and those of good insulators. Both silicon and germanium, which are the two basic semiconductors, have four electrons in the outermost electron subshell. In formation of the lattice structure of the silicon or germanium, all the valence electrons are involved in the bonding, so the material should be an insulator. However, an unusually small amount of energy is needed to break one of the bonds and set an electron free to roam around the lattice. This energy is approximately 1ev. This energy corresponds to the energy gap between the valence and conduction bands. In an insulator, this energy gap is very high to approximately 5ev. No e
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