eli5: Band-gaps, carrier electrons, electron holes

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Hello!
Could someone explain electron holes to me like I’m five? Are they a concrete positive charge, or a mere absence of an electron? I have a lot of question marks in my head regarding this concept. I would appreciate resources that help to understand it too.
Thank you!

Tldr: what’s an electron hole?

In: Chemistry

4 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

An electron hole is conceptually, an anti-electron (without being a proton). Or, a space an electron could occupy, that when under an electron flow, moves in the opposite direction.

Imagine if you will, a line of people. The people can only move forward if there is a gap in the line in front of them. So, person 1 steps into that gap, leaving a gap behind them. The person behind them steps forward to fill the recently open gap, and another new gap opens up behind *them*. From an outside observer, this would look like the “gap” in the line is moving backwards, while the line of people moves forwards.

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