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In a junction diode, the holes are due to

Asked in CBSE AIPMT 1999 · Doping and carrier concentration

Answer: (4) missing of electrons

Step-by-step solution

Idea: a hole is not a particle but a vacancy in the covalent bonding of the crystal.

When an electron is missing from a bond, a neighbouring bonding electron can move in to fill it.

That leaves the vacancy where the neighbour came from, so the vacancy itself appears to travel.

A missing electron therefore behaves as a mobile positive charge, and that is what is called a hole.

Why the other options are wrong

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