semiconductor, solid material whose electrical conductivity at room temperature is between that of a conductor and that of an insulator (see conduction; insulation). At high temperatures its conductivity approaches that of a metal, and at low temperatures it acts as an insulator. In a semiconductor there is a limited movement of electrons, depending upon the crystal structure of the material used. The substances first used for semiconductors were the elements germanium, silicon, and gray tin. It was found that the incorporation of certain impurities in them enhances their conductive properties. The impurities either add free electrons or create holes (electron deficiencies) in the crystal structures of the host substances by attracting electrons. Thus there are two types of semiconductor: the N-type (negative), in which the current carriers (electrons) are negative, and the P-type (positive), in which the positively charged holes move and carry the current. The process of adding these impurities is called doping; the impurities themselves are called dopants. Dopants that contribute mobile electrons are called donor impurities; those that cause holes to form are acceptor impurities. Undoped semiconductor material is called intrinsic semiconductor material. Certain chemical compounds, including gallium arsenide, indium antimonide, and aluminum phosphide are semiconductors. Semiconductors are used to produce such electronic devices as diodes, transistors, and computer memory devices. The field of solid-state physics includes the study of semiconductors. See also integrated circuit.

Electronic device that operates on the basis of the electric, magnetic, or optical properties of a solid material, especially one that uses a solid crystal in which an orderly three-dimensional arrangement of atoms, ions, or molecules is repeated throughout the entire crystal. Synthetic crystals of elements such as silicon, gallium arsenide, and germanium are used in transistors, rectifiers, and integrated circuits. The first solid-state device was the “cat's whisker” (1906), in which a fine wire was moved across a solid crystal to detect a radio signal. Seealso semiconductor.

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Class of crystalline solids with electrical conductivity between that of a conductor and an insulator. Such materials can be treated chemically to allow transmission and control of an electric current. Semiconductors are used in the manufacture of electronic devices such as diodes, transistors, and integrated circuits. Intrinsic semiconductors have a high degree of chemical purity, but their conductivity is poor. Extrinsic semiconductors contain impurities that produce much greater conductivity. Some common intrinsic semiconductors are single crystals of silicon, germanium, and gallium arsenide; such materials can be converted into the technologically more important extrinsic semiconductors by addition of small amounts of impurities, a process called doping (see dopant). Advances in semiconductor technology in recent years have gone hand in hand with increased operational speed in computers.

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