Hole state in a solid

Article By:

Frenzel, Louis Retired, Department of Engineering Technology, Austin Community College, Austin, Texas.

Berry, Carlotta Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, Terre Haute, Indiana.

Last reviewed:March 2022

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.320250

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• Hole states in solids, published August 2020:Download PDF Get Adobe Acrobat Reader

A vacant electron energy state near the top of an energy band in a solid. A hole, or more formally an electron hole, represents the absence of an electron where one could exist as part of an atom or within a crystal structure (an atomic lattice) (Fig. 1). Specifically in solid-state physics, a hole refers to where an electron is missing from a full valence band. A full valence band cannot carry electric current. A valance band that is nearly full, with only a few unoccupied states near its maximum energy, can carry current. The current behaves as though the charge carriers are positively charged. In this way, electron holes move through a metal or lattice like positively charged particles, analogously to how negatively charged electrons move, though the holes are not actually particles. See also: Atom; Crystal; Crystal structure; Electric current; Electricity; Electron; Solid-state physics; Valence band

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