A Solid-State Maxwell Demon

[vasik041]

So our PN junction behaves like a charged capacitor

(from https://www.quora.com/What-is-contact-potential-in-pn-junction-diode)


It is difficult to measure because capacitance of PN junction is very small (it made small on purpose, capacitance in normal operation is unwanted effect).
-V.

[ZL]

"So our PN junction behaves like a charged capacitor "
(from https://www.quora.com/What-is-contact-potential-in-pn-junction-diode)

It is difficult to measure because capacitance of PN junction is very small (it made small on purpose, capacitance in normal operation is unwanted effect).

Your quoted page gives a nice explanation about what the contact potential difference is in a p-n junction, but it doesn't explain why we can't measure that with a DMM. The statement that it behaves like a charged capacitor does not explain why you can't measure the say 0.7V built-in potential difference between the two terminals of the diode with a simple voltmeter attached. Why can't you just connect a resistor to it and use it as a battery?

The capacitance is very small indeed, and the stored charge will quickly get discharged via the voltmeter's inner resistance. But your explanation assumes that when this capacitor gets discharged by the voltmeter, then there is nothing to recharge it. Current stops flowing.

Important question: does the built-in potential difference disappear inside the depletion region when you discharge this capacitor?

[Nonlinear]

Yes, they are the newly evolved super human species called homo facebookus, with an attention span of about 5 minutes.
https://www.trackvia.com/blog/productivity/truth-shrinking-attention-span/

LOL, that is funny and sad at the same time.  Folks, this is a serious problem, we should stop using facebook. If anyone disagrees, watch this video:
You Will Wish You Watched This Before You Started Using Social Media | The Twisted Truth
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmEDAzqswh8&feature=youtu.be

"But here is a crucial question: if the contact potential difference is present in both n-p diodes, and thermocouples as well, then why can't we measure them with a digital multimeter of decent quality?"

Dr. D'Abramo's paper confuses me, but using Google doesn't require a PhD. Hopefully vasik041 will not mind if I interject with the answer. Google: "why can we not measure diode contact potential" without quotation marks, and bingo, there is your answer in the first hit!

Semiconductors: Why can't the built-in potential across the depletion region of a p-n diode be measured externally?
https://www.quora.com/Semiconductors-Why-cant-the-built-in-potential-across-the-depletion-region-of-a-p-n-diode-be-measured-externally

"Important question: does the built-in potential difference disappear inside the depletion region when you discharge this capacitor?"

Nope, I don't think so. It disappears only if an exact same external forward voltage is applied to the junction.

[ZL]

Excellent find Nonlinear! Not because that page:
https://www.quora.com/Semiconductors-Why-cant-the-built-in-potential-across-the-depletion-region-of-a-p-n-diode-be-measured-externally

(or Quora in general) would be the clearest, most reliable, and most accurate source of true scientific information, but because it also gives us a glimpse into the anatomy of academic disinformation. When we are dealing with FE we can't separate the search for true scientific- and technical information from the need for constant critical discernment, keeping in mind the possibility of deliberate disinformation by the academics (and other shills) who try to hide and obfuscate certain scientific facts that are crucial for FE inventions.

I could have answered your request for explaining the errors in Germano's paper by simply writing a similar paper (might do that later as well), and uploading it for you. But that would have given you and other interested readers only dry data, which readers might not understand any better than they do the papers of Germano, and Daniel. For genuine FE researchers it is more important to realize that there is such thing as deliberate academic disinformation perpetuated specifically to prevent the discovery of anything that could violate the laws of thermodynamics (especially the first one - creating energy from seemingly nothing, or annihilating it). One also needs a way, a method by which such disinformation can be suspected, recognized, and dismissed in favour of true scientific facts that may be under attack and suppression. Let's demonstrate such a method for this case.

On your quoted web-page there are 6 answers at the present, and there is a controversy; they present contradictory explanations. Some are arguing that:

...there is no voltage across the depletion region to measure...

they follow the line (and agenda) of Germano. But there are at least 2 correct explanations as well (following the correct explanations of Dr. Sheehan), one of which claims that:

...Now this potential cannot be measured directly by connecting a voltmeter across the diode. The reason for this is that as soon a connection is made between the diode terminal and a conductor (metal), a Schottky diode is created at the metal-p/n junction. The two Schottky diodes, created at the p-terminal metal interface and n-terminal metal interface effectively reverse the effect of the built-in potential. As a result, you would see zero potential difference across the diode.

Now after pointing out the chosen correct answer, let's take a look into the anatomy of deception present on that page, and then later let's explain how and why we have arrived to the conclusion that the later answer must be correct. Nonlinear, can you please analyse the case of the wrong answer? Who gave the wrong answers? Do they have college/university education and/or scientific title? Are they members of the academy? If they claim to have such credentials, then can we verify and confirm the validity of these claims? In an online forum anybody could claim any credentials if anonymous...

How and why did the wrong answer end up at the top of the list, represented as the "chosen truth" by consensus? Who voted it to the top of the list (do you recognize any pattern of demographics, qualifications etc?). Do you recognize any nefarious agenda? If yes, then exactly what are they trying to hide and why? You know what I mean, just analyse the page and situation, and based on your knowledge what insights can you gain regarding the controversy? Other readers are also invited to present their insights.

[vasik041]

 This is probably offtopic here but it very well describes situation in mainstream science
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKHUaNAxsTg


Charged capacitor with zero voltage...very typical