semiconductor

Other forms: semiconductors

Definitions of semiconductor

1. noun

   a substance as germanium or silicon whose electrical conductivity is intermediate between that of a metal and an insulator; its conductivity increases with temperature and in the presence of impurities
   synonyms: semiconducting material

   types:

   Ge, atomic number 32, germanium

   a brittle grey crystalline element that is a semiconducting metalloid (resembling silicon) used in transistors; occurs in germanite and argyrodite

   Si, atomic number 14, silicon

   a tetravalent nonmetallic element; next to oxygen it is the most abundant element in the earth's crust; occurs in clay and feldspar and granite and quartz and sand; used as a semiconductor in transistors

   type of:

   conductor

   a substance that readily conducts e.g. electricity and heat
2. noun

   a conductor made with semiconducting material
   synonyms: semiconductor device, semiconductor unit

   types:

   chip, micro chip, microchip, microprocessor chip, silicon chip

   electronic equipment consisting of a small crystal of a silicon semiconductor fabricated to carry out a number of electronic functions in an integrated circuit

   crystal rectifier, diode, junction rectifier, semiconductor diode

   a semiconductor that consists of a p-n junction

   n-type semiconductor

   a semiconductor in which electrical conduction is due chiefly to the movement of electrons

   p-type semiconductor

   a semiconductor in which electrical conduction is due chiefly to the movement of positive holes

   thermal resistor, thermistor

   a semiconductor device made of materials whose resistance varies as a function of temperature; can be used to compensate for temperature variation in other components of a circuit

   electronic transistor, junction transistor, transistor

   a semiconductor device capable of amplification

   biochip

   a microchip that uses tiny strands of DNA to latch onto and quickly recognize thousands of genes at a time; intended for use in a biological environment

   FET, field-effect transistor

   a transistor in which most current flows in a channel whose effective resistance can be controlled by a transverse electric field

   DNA chip, gene chip

   a microchip that holds DNA probes that form half of the DNA double helix and can recognize DNA from samples being tested

   LED, light-emitting diode

   diode such that light emitted at a p-n junction is proportional to the bias current; color depends on the material used

   memory chip

   a RAM microchip that can be plugged into a computer to provide additional memory

   microprocessor

   a tiny electronic device in a computer, containing integrated circuits and serving to carry out the computer's logical and arithmetic functions; a semiconductor chip

   p-n-p transistor

   a junction transistor having an n-type semiconductor between a p-type semiconductor that serves as an emitter and a p-type semiconductor that serves as a collector

   type of:

   conductor

   a device designed to transmit electricity, heat, etc.