Why is semiconductor used in electronics

The semiconductor industry has a longstanding tradition of partnering with government to spur innovation and build a bridge to the future. In the s, the industry teamed with the government to establish SEMATECH, which sponsors advanced semiconductor manufacturing research and is now recognized by many as the ideal model of public-private collaboration.

SRC has launched hugely successful government-industry-university research partnerships that are unmatched in size and scope by programs in other industries. The federal government should maintain its share of the partnership and fund scientific research at sustainable levels.

Through collaboration, and effective government policies, America will continue to lead the world and the semiconductor industry will continue to create jobs, drive economic growth, and develop the technologies needed to build our future.

Semiconductors are a foundational technology for virtually all areas of our economy. Semiconductors were invented in America, and the U. The semiconductor industry directly employs about , workers in the United States, and for every direct job there are 4.

That equals more than 1 million additional jobs as a result of a thriving U. Even more impressive is that a job in the semiconductor industry pays on average 2. Contrary to the popular perception that most high-tech manufacturing has been offshored to Asia, advanced semiconductor manufacturing remains strong in the U. In fact, about half of U. The key to maintaining the advancements that fuel our industry and the U.

Unfortunately, U. For example, the percentage of U. SIA member companies continue to invest and expand in the U. Overall, U. A thriving U. Simply put, semiconductors strengthen our country. Toggle navigation. What is a Semiconductor? Semiconductors are the Brains of Modern Electronics. Today, most semiconductor chips and transistors are created with silicon.

You may have heard expressions like "Silicon Valley" and the "silicon economy," and that's why -- silicon is the heart of any electronic device. A diode is the simplest possible semiconductor device, and is therefore an excellent beginning point if you want to understand how semiconductors work. In this article, you'll learn what a semiconductor is, how doping works and how a diode can be created using semiconductors. But first, let's take a close look at silicon.

Silicon is a very common element -- for example, it is the main element in sand and quartz. If you look "silicon" up in the periodic table , you will find that it sits next to aluminum, below carbon and above germanium. Carbon, silicon and germanium germanium, like silicon, is also a semiconductor have a unique property in their electron structure -- each has four electrons in its outer orbital. This allows them to form nice crystals.

The four electrons form perfect covalent bonds with four neighboring atoms , creating a lattice. In carbon, we know the crystalline form as diamond. In silicon, the crystalline form is a silvery, metallic-looking substance. While silicon crystals look metallic, they are not, in fact, metals.

All of the outer electrons in a silicon crystal are involved in perfect covalent bonds , so they can't move around. A pure silicon crystal is nearly an insulator -- very little electricity will flow through it.

You can change the behavior of silicon and turn it into a conductor by doping it. In doping, you mix a small amount of an impurity into the silicon crystal. A minute amount of either N-type or P-type doping turns a silicon crystal from a good insulator into a viable but not great conductor -- hence the name "semiconductor.

N-type and P-type silicon are not that amazing by themselves; but when you put them together, you get some very interesting behavior at the junction. That's what happens in a diode. A diode is the simplest possible semiconductor device. A diode allows current to flow in one direction but not the other.

You may have seen turnstiles at a stadium or a subway station that let people go through in only one direction. A diode is a one-way turnstile for electrons. When you put N-type and P-type silicon together as shown in this diagram, you get a very interesting phenomenon that gives a diode its unique properties. Even though N-type silicon by itself is a conductor, and P-type silicon by itself is also a conductor, the combination shown in the diagram does not conduct any electricity.

The negative electrons in the N-type silicon get attracted to the positive terminal of the battery. The positive holes in the P-type silicon get attracted to the negative terminal of the battery. No current flows across the junction because the holes and the electrons are each moving in the wrong direction.

If you flip the battery around , the diode conducts electricity just fine. The free electrons in the N-type silicon are repelled by the negative terminal of the battery. The holes in the P-type silicon are repelled by the positive terminal. At the junction between the N-type and P-type silicon, holes and free electrons meet. The electrons fill the holes. Those holes and free electrons cease to exist, and new holes and electrons spring up to take their place.

Light emitting diodes are constructed so that most of the light radiates outward. The device is usually mounted in a small reflector cup to help direct the light, and the whole assembly is packaged in translucent plastic. A semiconductor laser diode, like the kind in a DVD player and other common systems, uses much the same principle, but uses special materials to create a larger band gap.

A laser diode uses heterostructures, which are junctions of two different types of semiconductor materials, chosen so that the band gap is very large. The device also uses mirrors and other means to reflect light emitted from the junctions in order to stimulate the laser effect. While a semiconductor diode is the simplest type of electronic device, semiconductors are also used to make transistors, integrated circuits, and many other types of electronic devices. Explore content Browse by Subject.

Oral Histories. First Hand Histories. Special pages. Recent changes. User assistance Help. Tools What links here. Related changes. Printable version.