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In semiconductor production, doping refers to the process of intentionally introducing impurities into a pure semiconductor substrate, in order to change its electrical properties. For doping silicon, the dopants are called III-V compounds, referring by Roman numerals to the columns in the Periodic Table of the Elements; Silicon itself is in column IV of the table.
By doping pure silicon with group V elements such as Phosphorus, extra valence electrons are added which become unbonded from individual atoms and allow the compound to be electrically conductive, n-type material. Doping with group III elements, such as Boron, which are missing the forth valence electron creates "broken bonds", or holes, in the silicon lattice that are free to move. This is electrically conductive, p-type material.
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