bandgap
|band-gap|
/ˈbændɡæp/
energy gap between valence and conduction bands
Etymology
'bandgap' originates from modern English, formed as a compound of the words 'band' and 'gap'.
'band' goes back to Old English 'bænd'/'band' (related to binding, a band or strip) and Old Norse 'band'; 'gap' comes from Old Norse 'gap' meaning an opening or breach; the compound 'band gap' arose in 20th-century physics to describe an energy 'gap' between electronic 'bands'.
Initially the components referred to a physical 'band' and an 'opening' or 'gap'; in modern usage the compound specifically denotes the energy region or difference in a solid's electronic band structure.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
the range of energies in a solid where no electron states exist between the valence band and the conduction band (a forbidden energy region in the electronic band structure).
The material's bandgap prevents electrons from occupying energies in that range.
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Noun 2
the numeric energy difference (usually measured in electronvolts, eV) between the top of the valence band and the bottom of the conduction band; a key property that determines a material's electrical and optical behavior (e.g., semiconductor vs. insulator, direct vs. indirect bandgap).
The bandgap of silicon is about 1.12 eV.
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Last updated: 2026/01/10 06:30