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Why was this question migrated back to the EE forum.

Granted it is about an electronics device, but the atomic level behaviour of the seimiconductor junction is definitely a physics question.

I originally posted it to both forums, understanding that the EE folks have a more behavioural explanation for the phenomenon, but the root physical description of what is going on is much less clear, to many an EE.

Indeed the accepted descriptions are, in the EE world, to the most part, accepted at face value with an air of.. "OK, I don't get it, but it explains what I can measure it doing, so let's go with that."

I'd really like so see a deeper explanation than just "oh it's because electron s magically diffuse across despite the electric field going the wrong way and without affecting the base in their travels."

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  • $\begingroup$ First, stack exchange sites are not forums, they're question and answer sites. Second, posting the same question on two SE sites is generally looked down upon. $\endgroup$
    – Kyle Kanos
    Feb 17, 2018 at 11:48
  • $\begingroup$ It also looks like the question you posted here was closed, not migrated. $\endgroup$
    – Kyle Kanos
    Feb 17, 2018 at 11:51
  • $\begingroup$ Actually I migrated it, but it was rejected by EE.SE, presumably because of the crosspost. $\endgroup$
    – Qmechanic Mod
    Feb 17, 2018 at 12:35
  • $\begingroup$ @KyleKanos I deleted the physics version when it got migrated back. $\endgroup$
    – Trevor_G
    Feb 17, 2018 at 16:20
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    $\begingroup$ Now reopened here. $\endgroup$
    – Qmechanic Mod
    Feb 19, 2018 at 2:34

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General comments:

  • As OP already mentions, the topics of electric circuits & electronics have an overlap between Phys.SE and EE.SE. Traditionally, the line has been drawn somewhere between diodes and transistors, meaning that Phys.SE typically allows non-technical questions about passive components, such that RCL circuits and diodes, while active components, transistors, integrated circuits, and technical questions, etc, typically belong to EE.SE. This is of course just a rule of thumb with room for interpretation.

  • In general one should not crosspost, as this may waste the time of answerers. If one crossposts, one should at least link to the crosspost (on both sites!). Also it is recommended to adapt the question to the target site.

Specific comments:

  • In the case at hand, if OP could stress in the post what aspect of the question that is not already covered in the EE crosspost, then it could be reopened on Phys.SE.
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    $\begingroup$ Thanks, I recreated the question in the Physics forum with added text that indicates I need an answer from Physicists, not Engineers. $\endgroup$
    – Trevor_G
    Feb 17, 2018 at 16:21
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    $\begingroup$ I think the "rule of thumb": transistor is EE, diode and passive components is physics is rather absurd. The Nobel price for physics was awarded for the discovery of the bipolar transistor to John Bardeen (two Nobel prizes in physics), Walter Brattain, and William Shockley. They were all physicists. Should physics Nobel prize topics be excluded from SE physics? My opinion is that also active devices, especially nano-electronic devices, definitely belong to physics. The discipline of Applied Physics is physics! I don't know which unworldly high-priests of physics have come up with such rules. $\endgroup$
    – freecharly
    Feb 19, 2018 at 2:19
  • $\begingroup$ I'd amend this answer a bit: questions about circuits involving transistors and more advanced components are considered off topic here. But questions about the behavior of a transistor itself, considered apart from any circuit it may be a part of, could easily be on topic. That's been my understanding, at least. $\endgroup$
    – David Z
    Feb 20, 2018 at 10:23

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