For example, cadmium from group 12 is composed of sulfur, selenium, and tellurium compound semiconductors. Whereas mercury is from the same group with compound semiconductor sulfur only. Why not add elements of groups other than groups 13 and 15 to silicon, assuming we ignore the cost?
For example, why does mercury give only semiconductor sulfur?
Dear Mahsa Mojiri, first you have the element semiconductors such as the prototypical silicon. Si has 4 valence electrons. Then there is the class of compound semiconductors. These are normally binary compounds wich have 4 valence on average. Thus typical combinations are group 13 + group 15 (e.g. GaN, GaAs, InP., InSb etc., III-V-semiconductors), group 12 + group 16 (e.g. ZnSe, CdS etc., II-VI-semiconductors) and occasionally the combination of group 11 and group 17 (e.g. CuI). These are the most suitable combinations, but this does not mean that there are no exceptions.
Dear Mahsa M. :
I'm attaching the Chapter 1 of one of the Books in Semiconductor Physics. Give it a look, I'm sure after reading it carefully you'r gonna be able to get things more clear.
Regards !
Dear Mahsa Mojiri, mercury does not only combine with sulfur, but the compounds HgSe and HgTe are also semiconductors. I assume, however, that nobody wants to use such mercury-containing materials industrially because of the high toxicity of mercury. Cadmium oxide is also a compound semiconductor. Of course, silicon can be combined with other elements than those of groups 13 and 15, but then you sometimes obtain insulators (SiO2, SiS2). On the other hand, silicium carbide (SiC) is again a semiconducting material.
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