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Question

Question: Number of electrons in the valence shell of a semiconductor is (A) \( 1 \) (B) \( 2 \) (C) \...

Number of electrons in the valence shell of a semiconductor is
(A) 11
(B) 22
(C) 33
(D) 44

Explanation

Solution

To answer this question, we need to consider the examples of the semiconductor elements. Silicon and Germanium are the common examples of the semiconductors. By considering the electronic configuration of these elements, we will get the required answer.

Complete step-by-step solution
We know that the most commonly used semiconducting elements include Silicon and Germanium. For obtaining the number of electrons in the valence shell of the semiconductors, we need to consider the electronic configuration of these elements.
We know that the atomic number of Silicon is equal to 1414 . So the electronic configuration of silicon can be written as
1s22s22p63s23p21{s^2}2{s^2}2{p^6}3{s^2}3{p^2}
Since the last electron gets filled in the third shell of Silicon, so the valence electrons are present in this shell. As we can see through the electronic configuration of Silicon, there are two electrons in the 3s3s orbital, and there are two electrons in the 3p3p orbital. So there are a total of four electrons in the valence shell of Silicon.
Now, we consider the case of Germanium. We know that the atomic number of Germanium is equal to 3232 . So the electronic configuration of Germanium can be written as
1s22s22p63s23p64s23d104p21{s^2}2{s^2}2{p^6}3{s^2}3{p^6}4{s^2}3{d^{10}}4{p^2}
Since the last electron gets filled in the third shell of Germanium, so the valence electrons are present in the fourth shell. In the electronic configuration we can see that there are two electrons in each of the 4s4s and 4p4p orbital, thus accounting for a total of 44 electrons in the valence shell of Germanium.
Thus, the number of electrons in the valence shell of a semiconductor is equal to 44 .
Hence, the correct answer is option D.

Note
Semiconductors are widely used in daily application. They are used in the manufacturing of important devices such as transistors, ICs etc. These are used in designing the digital devices, which act as automatically controlled machines.