"A semiconductor device is an electronic component that relies on the electronic properties of a semiconductor material for its function."
The study of semiconductor materials and electronic devices such as diodes, transistors, and integrated circuits.
Semiconductor Physics: Understanding the behavior of electrons in semiconductor materials, including the principles of doping, Fermi levels, and carrier mobility.
Solid State Physics: The study of the behavior of electrons in solid materials, including crystal structures, band theory, and optical properties.
Circuit Analysis: Analyzing the behavior of electric circuits using fundamental laws such as Ohm's Law and Kirchhoff's Laws.
Electronics Design: Designing electronic circuits, including schematic creation, component selection, and simulation.
Electronic Instrumentation: Understanding the principles and design of electronic instruments such as multimeters, oscilloscopes, and signal generators.
Electronic Devices: Understanding the design and operation of electronic devices such as diodes, transistors, and microprocessors.
Digital Electronics: Understanding the principles of digital logic, including Boolean algebra, logic gates, and digital circuits.
Analog Electronics: Understanding the principles of analog circuits, including amplifiers, filters, and oscillators.
Power Electronics: Understanding the design and operation of power electronics circuits, including inverters, rectifiers, and power supplies.
Electronic Materials: Understanding the properties and applications of electronic materials such as silicon, gallium arsenide, and organic materials.
Optoelectronics: Understanding the principles and design of devices that combine electronics with light, including LEDs, lasers, and photovoltaics.
RF and Microwave Electronics: Understanding the design and behavior of circuits and devices operating at radio and microwave frequencies, such as antennas, waveguides, and RF amplifiers.
Control Systems: Understanding the principles of control systems, including feedback and control algorithms, and their applications in electronics.
Electromagnetics: Understanding the behavior of electric and magnetic fields and their interactions in electronic systems, including Maxwell's equations, wave propagation, and electromagnetic interference.
Nanotechnology: Understanding the principles of manipulating matter on the nanoscale, including nanomaterials, nanofabrication, and nanoelectronics.
Semiconductor devices: These are electronic devices that use semiconductors to control the flow of electrical current. Examples include diodes, transistors, and integrated circuits.
Optoelectronic devices: These are electronic devices that emit or detect light. Examples include LEDs, solar cells, and photodiodes.
Magnetic devices: These are electronic devices that use magnetic fields to store or manipulate data. Examples include hard disk drives and magnetic sensors.
MEMS devices: These are electronic devices that use microelectromechanical systems to perform mechanical operations on a small scale. Examples include accelerometers and microphones.
Power devices: These are electronic devices that manage the flow of high-power currents. Examples include power transistors and thyristors.
Display devices: These are electronic devices that show visual output. Examples include LCD screens and OLED displays.
Communication devices: These are electronic devices that enable communication between devices or over networks. Examples include modems and routers.
Sensors: These are electronic devices that detect physical or environmental changes and convert them into an electrical signal. Examples include temperature sensors and motion sensors.
Printed circuit boards: These are electronic devices made of insulating material with conductive pathways etched onto them. They serve as the foundation for many electronic systems.
Resistors: These are electronic components that limit the flow of electric current in a circuit.
Capacitors: These are electronic components that store electrical charge.
Inductors: These are electronic components that store energy in a magnetic field.
Transformers: These are electronic devices that use electromagnetic induction to transfer electrical energy from one circuit to another.
Batteries: These are electronic devices that store electrical energy for later use.
Conductive materials: These are materials, such as copper and aluminum, that conduct electricity well and are used in many electronic components.
Insulating materials: These are materials that do not conduct electricity and are used to isolate and protect electronic components.
Nanomaterials: These are materials on the nanoscale that have unique electrical and physical properties and are used in the development of new electronic devices.
Superconducting materials: These are materials that have zero electrical resistance at very low temperatures and are used in the development of high-performance electronic devices.
"primarily silicon, germanium, and gallium arsenide, as well as organic semiconductors"
"They conduct electric current in the solid state, rather than as free electrons across a vacuum or as free electrons and ions through an ionized gas."
"Semiconductor devices are manufactured both as single discrete devices and as integrated circuit (IC) chips, which consist of two or more devices manufactured and interconnected on a single semiconductor wafer."
"Semiconductor materials are useful because their behavior can be easily manipulated by the deliberate addition of impurities, known as doping."
"by the introduction of an electric or magnetic field, by exposure to light or heat, or by the mechanical deformation of a doped monocrystalline silicon grid"
"Current conduction in a semiconductor occurs due to mobile or 'free' electrons and electron holes, collectively known as charge carriers."
"Doping a semiconductor greatly increases the number of free electrons or holes within the semiconductor."
"When a doped semiconductor contains excess holes, it is called a p-type semiconductor; when it contains excess free electrons, it is called an n-type semiconductor."
"The connection of n-type and p-type semiconductors form p-n junctions."
"The most common semiconductor device in the world is the MOSFET (metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistor), also called the MOS transistor."
"As of 2013, billions of MOS transistors are manufactured every day."
"Semi-conductor devices made per year have been growing by 9.1% on average since 1978."
"Shipments in 2018 are predicted for the first time to exceed 1 trillion."
"Well over 7 trillion have been made to date."
"The deliberate addition of impurities, known as doping, greatly increases the number of free electrons or holes within the semiconductor."
"Current conduction in a semiconductor occurs due to mobile or 'free' electrons and electron holes."
"The connection of n-type and p-type semiconductors form p-n junctions, which are crucial in various semiconductor devices."
"P-type semiconductors contain excess holes, while n-type semiconductors contain excess free electrons."
"Semiconductor devices conduct electric current in the solid state, rather than as free electrons across a vacuum or as free electrons and ions through an ionized gas."