semiconductor

[ sem-ee-kuhn-duhk-ter, sem-ahy- ]

noun

1. a substance, as silicon or germanium, with electrical conductivity intermediate between that of an insulator and a conductor: a basic component of various kinds of electronic circuit element semiconductor device used in communications, control, and detection technology and in computers.
2. a semiconductor device.

semiconductor

/ ˌsɛmɪkənˈdʌktə /

noun

1. a substance, such as germanium or silicon, that has an electrical conductivity that increases with temperature and is intermediate between that of a metal and an insulator
2. 1. a device, such as a transistor or integrated circuit, that depends on the properties of such a substance
   2. ( as modifier )

      a semiconductor diode

semiconductor

/ sĕm′ē-kən-dŭk′tər /

1. Any of various solid substances, such as silicon or germanium, that conduct electricity more easily than insulators but less easily than conductors. In semiconductors, thermal energy is enough to cause a small number of electrons to escape from the valence bonds between the atoms (the valence band ); they orbit instead in the higher-energy conduction band , in which they are relatively free. The resulting gaps in the valence band are called holes . Semiconductors are vital to the design of electronic components and circuitry, including transistors, laser diodes, and memory and computer processing circuits.

semiconductor

1. A material that conducts ( see conduction ) electricity , but very poorly. Silicon is the most common and familiar semiconductor. Devices made from semiconductors, such as the transistor , are the basis of the modern microelectric industry.

Derived Forms

• ˌsemiconˈduction, noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of semiconductor¹

First recorded in 1875–80; semi- + conductor

Example Sentences

The company joins General Motors, Nissan, Volkswagen, Toyota, Mazda and Subaru in cutting production output — all citing the semiconductor shortage.

From Axios

Reporting third-quarter data last November, the office also highlighted the role of semiconductors in driving growth in the manufacturing sector.

From Quartz

As many semiconductor companies increasingly focus on more complex chips, they have started to “outsource a portion of their noncore chip design,” notes Keith.

From Fortune

China imported $350 billion worth of semiconductors in 2020, an increase of 15% over 2019.

From Fortune

So when … we want to invest in the best AI semiconductor company in the world, we looked at them in China, Israel and Europe.

From TechCrunch

Likewise, the semiconductor industry as we know it today originated in the highly taxed 1970s, not the 1980s.

From The Daily Beast

Take Intel, which has been the leading maker of semiconductor chips for decades.

From The Daily Beast

The chips that IBM has made still use traditional semiconductor materials.

From The Daily Beast

It may not be the only impurity causing the peculiar behavior of this semiconductor, but it does seem a likely candidate.

From Project Gutenberg