About Semiconductors and Semiconductor Materials
Semiconductors and semiconductor materials are used to fabricate microelectronic devices and optoelectronic devices such as transistors, photodetectors and solar cells. Silicon (Si) is the most commonly used semiconductor material today; however, other semiconductor material types are also available. The number of valence shell electrons in a semiconductor material places this category of material between insulators (poor electrical conductors) and metals (good semiconductors). Insulators have a filled valence shell (eight electrons) and a large band gap, which results in poor electrical conductivity. Metals have a partially-filled valence shell and overlapping band gap, which results in free-traveling electrons and high electrical conductivity. Semiconductors and semiconductor materials are useful because their electrical conductivity can be altered with dopants, an applied electric field, or electromagnetic radiation.
Engineering Web: Semiconductors and Semiconductor Materials - Machine Design
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Research may yield cheaper, faster semiconductor materials |... Research may yield cheaper, faster semiconductor materials |
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Organic semiconductors key to cheap solar cells | Machine... Semiconductors ? organic or otherwise ? are materials that contain either an excess of free electrons (N-type) or "holes" ( Ptype). Holes are spaces |
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Nanotubes may be the best semiconductors | Machine Design The semiconducting carbon nanotubes may replace conventional semiconductor materials in applications from computer chips to biochemical sensors. |
