semiconductor
Sign in to saveA semiconductor is a material with electrical conductivity between that of a conductor and an insulator. Its conductivity can be modified by adding impurities ("doping") to its crystal structure. When two regions with different doping levels are present in the same crystal, they form a semiconductor junction. However the term "semiconductors" is sometimes used to refer to semiconductor devices such as microchips and computer processors, which work using the physical properties of semiconductors.
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A semiconductor is a material whose ability to conduct electricity can be controlled by adding impurities to it, making it useful for creating electronic devices. Semiconductors matter because they form the foundation of modern electronics—including microchips and computer processors—by enabling precise control over electrical flow in ways that pure conductors and insulators cannot.
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Article
21 sectionsContents
- Properties
- Variable electrical conductivity
- Homojunctions
- Excited electrons
- Light emission
- High thermal conductivity
- Thermal energy conversion
- Materials
- Preparation of semiconductor materials
- Physics of semiconductors
- Energy bands and electrical conduction
- Charge carriers (electrons and holes)
- Carrier generation and recombination
- Doping
- Amorphous semiconductors
- Early history of semiconductors
- Early transistors
- See also
- References
- Further reading
- External links
A semiconductor is a material with electrical conductivity between that of a conductor and an insulator. Its conductivity can be modified by adding impurities ("doping") to its crystal structure. When two regions with different doping levels are present in the same crystal, they form a semiconductor junction. However the term "semiconductors" is sometimes used to refer to semiconductor devices such as microchips and computer processors, which work using the physical properties of semiconductors.
The behavior of charge carriers, which include electrons, ions, and electron holes, at these junctions is the basis of diodes, transistors, and most modern electronics. Some examples of semiconductors are silicon, germanium, gallium arsenide, and elements near the so-called "metalloid staircase" on the periodic table. After silicon, gallium arsenide is the second-most common semiconductor and is used in laser diodes, solar cells, microwave-frequency integrated circuits, and others. Silicon is a critical element for fabricating most electronic circuits.