Silicon is preferred to germanium in most modern devices because silicon
- A. has a lower barrier potential
- B. tolerates higher temperatures and has a much smaller leakage current
- C. is a better conductor
- D. requires no doping
Explanation
Silicon's larger band gap means far fewer thermally generated carriers, so leakage is low and devices work reliably at higher temperatures, and it also forms a stable oxide that makes integrated circuits possible. Germanium's lower barrier of 0.3 V is an advantage in some low voltage detector circuits, which is why it has not vanished entirely. Silicon is also abundant and cheap.