Definition and synonyms of semiconductor from the online english dictionary from macmillan education this is the british english definition of semiconductor. Lecture 1 introduction to semiconductors and semiconductor. The first semester contains the fundamentals of semiconductor physics. A substance as germanium or silicon whose electrical conductivity is intermediate between that of a metal and an insulator. Common semiconductor compounds include gallium arsenide, indium. The semiconductor materials used in electronic devices are doped under. The differences between these materials can be understood in terms of the quantum states for electrons, each of which may contain zero or one electron by the pauli exclusion principle. One is intrinsic semiconductor and other is an extrinsic semiconductor. The process of adding impurities deliberately is termed as doping and the atoms that are used as an impurity are termed as dopants.
As its name implies, a semiconductor is a material that conducts current, but only partly. Extrinsic semiconductors are also called impurity semiconductors or doped semiconductors. Semiconductors are defined by their unique electric conductive behavior, somewhere between that of a conductor and an insulator. Semiconductors types, examples, properties, application. Conductivity can be varied by several orders of magnitude. The specific properties of a semiconductor depend on the impurities, or dopants, added to it. The pure form of the semiconductor is known as the intrinsic semiconductor and the semiconductor in which intentionally impurities is added for making it conductive is known as the extrinsic semiconductor. A semiconductor diode devices that allow current in only one direction consists of ptype and ntype semiconductors placed in junction with one another. A ptype semiconductor carries current predominantly as electron deficiencies called holes. Semiconductors financial definition of semiconductors. A semiconductor material has an electrical conductivity value falling between that of a conductor, such as metallic copper, and an insulator, such as glass. It can be defined as the work required to add an electron to a give. The concept of fermi level can be defined in different ways. These semiconductors typically form in periodic table groups 15 old groups iiiv, for example of elements from the boron group old group iii, boron, aluminium, gallium, indium and from group 15 old group v, nitrogen, phosphorus, arsenic, antimony, bismuth.
Semiconductors are defined by their unique electric conductive behavior. Any of various solid crystalline substances, such as germanium or silicon, having electrical conductivity greater than insulators but less than good conductors, and used especially as a base material for microchips and other electronic devices. Because of this ability, semiconductors serve an important function in everything from relays to the integrated circuits of computers. In this article, youll learn what a semiconductor is, how doping works and how a diode can be created using semiconductors. Semiconductor devices have replaced vacuum tubes in many applications. A semiconductor is a physical substance that is designed to manage and control the flow of current in electronic devices and equipment. These states are associated with the electronic band structure of the material. Browse the list of 1 741 semiconductor abbreviations with their meanings and definitions. Currently, most semiconductor diodes use doped silicon or germanium. View american english definition of semiconductor change your default dictionary to american english. Semiconductors can conduct or block electrical current. Semiconductor noun definition and synonyms macmillan. Semiconductor is a material whose conductivity lies inbetween that of the conductors and the insulators.
Density of charge carriers in intrinsic semiconductors. Semiconductor, any of a class of crystalline solids intermediate in electrical conductivity between a conductor and an insulator. Introduction to semiconductors and semiconductor devices a background equalization lecture reading. List of all most popular abbreviated semiconductor terms defined.
Semiconductor frequently asked questions semiconductor. Semiconductors, diodes, transistors horst wahl, quarknet presentation, june 2001 electrical conductivity. Solidstate materials are commonly grouped into three classes. Semiconductors can be compounds such as gallium arsenide or pure elements, such as germanium or silicon. The conductivity of a semiconductor is somewhere between that of an insulator, which has almost no conductivity, and a conductor, which has almost full conductivity. However, after 1990, a few semiconductor devices using organic semiconductors and semiconducting polymers have been developed signalling the birth of a futuristic technology of polymerelectronics and molecularelectronics.
The materials that are neither conductor nor insulator with energy gap of about 1 ev electron volt are called semiconductors a semiconductor is a substance, usually a solid chemical element or compound, that can conduct electricity under some conditions but not others, making it a good medium for the control of electrical current. In terms of energy bands, semiconductors can be defined as those materials which have almost an empty conduction band. The model of a double schottky barrier is shown to provide a quantitative basis for understanding the. Semiconductor definition of semiconductor by the free. Semiconductor physics synonyms, semiconductor physics pronunciation, semiconductor physics translation, english dictionary definition of semiconductor physics. Mobile charge carriers in semiconductors crystal structures, bonding mobile holes and electrons dopants and doping silicon in thermal equilibrium generationrecombination. In this chapter, we will restrict ourselves to the study of inorganic semiconductors, particularly. Semiconductor devices are nothing but electronic components that exploit the electronic properties of semiconductor materials, like as silicon, germanium, and gallium arsenide, as well as organic semiconductors. Semiconductors one of the basic building blocks of all modern electronic devices is the semiconductor. If a silicon or germanium atom in its pure form is doped with an element of group five in a small amount, such as antimony, arsenic or phosphorus, these elements having 5 electrons in their. Semiconductor definition is any of a class of solids such as germanium or silicon whose electrical conductivity is between that of a conductor and that of an insulator in being nearly as great as that of a metal at high temperatures and nearly absent at low temperatures. Dictionary entry details semiconductor noun sense 1. It neither allows a freely flowing electric current nor repels it completely.
Semiconductors are like oxygen for consumer electronics products. What is the physical insight at the basis of the parabolic band edge approximation. Pdf in this chapter we have introduced the wide class of materials referred. For semiconductors, the electrons can jump from the valence orbits but does require a small amount of energy to free the electron from the atomic core. Sic silicon carbide is a compound semiconductor composed of silicon and carbide. Doped semiconductors ntype materials ptype materials diodes and transistors. Doping is the process of adding a small impurity to a pure semiconductor to change its electrical properties. In his role as vp of engineering, crawley will oversee product development and evaluation for helix semiconductors. Why does the sia use a 3monthmoving average for its statistics. A semiconductor material has an electrical conductivity value falling between that of a. Semiconductors are an essential component of electronic devices, enabling advances in communications, computing, healthcare, military systems, transportation, clean energy, and countless other applications. Physics explains the theories, properties and mathematical approach governing semiconductors. Semiconductor meaning in the cambridge english dictionary. Marius grundmann the physics of semiconductors fulvio frisone.
An ntype semiconductor carries current mainly in the form of negativelycharged electrons, in a manner similar to the conduction of current in a wire. A hole has a positive electric charge, equal and opposite to. It is the ability to control conductivity that make semiconductors useful as currentvoltage control elements. Weve learned about how physical phenomena can represent and communicate information, and will learn about how it can be input, stored, and output, but here we turn to the essential electronic devices that transform it. Semiconductors are used extensively in electronic circuits. Currentvoltage control is the key to switches digital logic including microprocessors etc, amplifiers, leds, lasers, photodetectors, etc. However, generally, a semiconductor is defined on the basis of electrical conductivity as under. Semiconductors are the materials which have a conductivity between conductors generally metals and nonconductors or insulators such ceramics. A diode is the simplest possible semiconductor device, and is therefore an excellent beginning point if you want to understand how semiconductors work. For example, in the context of thermodynamics, fermi level is commonly treated as the chemical potential of electrons. A materials product usually comprised of silicon which conducts electricity more than an insulator but less than a pure conductor, such as copper and aluminum. Semiconductor definition of semiconductor by merriamwebster. Introduction to 1 semiconductors chapter outline 11 the atom 12 materials used in electronic devices current in semiconductors 14 ntype and ptype semiconductors 15 the pn junction chapter objectives describe the structure of an atom discuss insulators, conductors, and semiconductors and how they differ describe how current is produced in a semiconductor. Most semiconductors are made out of silicon crystals.
Its conducting properties may be altered in useful ways by introducing impurities doping into the crystal structure. Intrinsic semiconductor and extrinsic semiconductor the semiconductor is divided into two types. The impurity modifies the electrical properties of the semiconductor and makes it more suitable for electronic devices such. He will tap into his expertise to drive the technical team in product roadmap development, design methodology, ongoing technical innovation, and support for existing technologies and infrastructure. A semiconductor doped to such high levels that it acts more like a conductor than a semiconductor is referred to as degenerate. Semiconductors have negative temperature coefficient of resistance, i. The electric current is usually due only to the motion of electrons, although under some conditions, such as very. Such devices have found wide application because of their compactness, reliability, power efficiency, and low cost. Most semiconductors are crystals made of certain materials.
Lightly and moderately doped semiconductors are called extrinsic. They use electronic conduction in the solid state as opposed to. The electrical conductivity of semiconductors ranges from about 10 3 to 109 ohm1 cm1, as compared with a maximum conductivity of 10 7 for good conductors and a minimum conductivity of 1017 ohm1 cm1 for good insulators. Semiconductors which are chemically pure, meaning free of impurities, are called intrinsic semiconductors or undoped semiconductor or itype semiconductor. What exactly does the fermi level mean in semiconductors. Precompetitive basic research is essential to the semiconductor industry and the. Sic features 10x the breakdown electric field strength of silicon, making it possible to configure higher voltage 600v to thousands of v power devices. Extrinsic semiconductors are components of many common electrical devices. A substance that can act as an electrical conductor or insulator depending on chemical alterations or external conditions. Semiconductor definition and meaning collins english. Semiconductor definition, a substance, as silicon or germanium, with electrical conductivity intermediate between that of an insulator and a conductor. Silicon is the bestknown of these, forming the basis of most integrated circuits ics. Semiconductors are employed in the manufacture of various kinds of electronic devices, including diodes, transistors, and integrated circuits. A compound semiconductor is a semiconductor compound composed of chemical elements of at least two different species.
524 1486 535 1271 299 1046 319 628 340 165 20 540 207 111 41 617 149 658 1072 400 303 994 1371 613 697 943 1359 1264 847 240 324 687 910 622 816 648