Technical name for the holes (missing electrons) in a p-type semi-conductor?

Question

When a pure silicon crystal (giant lattice) is doped with boron atoms one of the four covalent bonds made between one boron atom and four surrounding silicon atoms is missing an electron as boron has three valence electrons. Is there a technical name for these holes (lack of electron in a covalent bond).

Is it acceptable to say that these holes are indirectly the charge carriers as they are allowing the movement of the electrons?

Furthermore, could you say that these holes are positively charged?(Hence the name p-type semi-conductor?).

Answer 1

Yes, the technical name is, in fact, an electron hole (typically referred to as simply a hole). It is considered suitable to describe these holes as electric charge carriers with a positive charge that is equal in magnitude to the negative charge of an electron. So, you have actually answered each one of your questions!

Answer 2

The holes are named electron holes or positive holes. Such holes are created when electrons go missing from a lattice site. In this case the ions or electrons from other lattice sites move into these holes one by one in direction of positive charge under the effect of electric field. Hence it can be said the positive holes move in the direction opposite to that of the electrons. Thus these holes increase conductivity of a solid. Since conductivity is due to "positively charged holes ", they are called "p type conductors ". A holes are created generally due to doping.