semiconductor

Also known as semiconductor material, semiconductors

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.

AI overview

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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Research

88,186 papers

Semiconductor-mediated radiosensitizers: progress, challenges and perspectives.Materials horizons · 2025Wang Y, Yang B, Liu S et al.DOI: 10.1039/d4mh01703j
Organic Semiconductor-DNA Hybrid Assemblies.ReviewAdvanced materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.) · 2020Cui C, Park DH, Ahn DJDOI: 10.1002/adma.202002213
Semiconductor Work and the Risk of Spontaneous Abortion: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2019Kim K, Sung HK, Lee K et al.DOI: 10.3390/ijerph16234626
Room-Temperature Semiconductor Gas Sensors: Challenges and Opportunities.ReviewACS sensors · 2022Tang Y, Zhao Y, Liu HDOI: 10.1021/acssensors.2c01142
Semiconductor nanocrystals for biological imaging.ReviewCurrent opinion in neurobiology · 2005Fu A, Gu W, Larabell C et al.DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2005.08.004
Metal-insulator-semiconductor photodetectors.ReviewSensors (Basel, Switzerland) · 2010Lin CH, Liu CWDOI: 10.3390/s101008797
Semiconductor detector systems.ReviewSeminars in nuclear medicine · 1973Ter-Pogossian MM, Phelps MEDOI: 10.1016/s0001-2998(73)80027-3
Recent Progress on Semiconductor-Interface Facing Clinical Biosensing.ReviewSensors (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Zhang M, Adkins M, Wang ZDOI: 10.3390/s21103467

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Wikidata facts

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Commons category: Semiconductors

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~30 min read

Article

21 sections

Contents

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

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.