The primary advantage of a semiconductor diode over a vacuum tube is:
**Types of semiconductors** elemental Si, Ge group IV with 4 valence electrons, compound GaAs, InP etc. Intrinsic has n_e = n_h, extrinsic doped with pentavalent donors (P, As) gives n-type excess electrons, trivalent acceptors (B, Al) gives p-type excess holes, resistivity range semiconductors 10⁻⁵ to 10⁶ Ω·m vs insulators 10¹¹ Ω·m. Semiconductor diodes are small, low-power, operate at low voltages, and have long life and high reliability compared to bulky, high-power vacuum tubes. Substituting values gives Long life and reliability, which matches expected behaviour for this semiconductor dev
Ref: NCERT > Physics Book > Electronic Devices > Semiconductors, Types and Energy Bands