semiconductor

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

/ ˌsɛm i kənˈdʌk tər, ˌsɛm aɪ- /

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noun

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 (semiconductor device ) used in communications, control, and detection technology and in computers.

a semiconductor device.

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Origin of semiconductor

First recorded in 1875–80; semi- + conductor

Words nearby semiconductor

semicivilized, semiclassical, semicolon, semicoma, semiconducting, semiconductor, semiconductor diode, semiconductor laser, semiconscious, semiconservative replication, semicrystalline

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use semiconductor in a sentence

The company joins General Motors, Nissan, Volkswagen, Toyota, Mazda and Subaru in cutting production output — all citing the semiconductor shortage.
The global chip shortage is slamming the auto industry|Joann Muller|February 5, 2021|Axios
Reporting third-quarter data last November, the office also highlighted the role of semiconductors in driving growth in the manufacturing sector.
Semiconductors helped make Taiwan Asia’s top-performing economy in 2020|Mary Hui|February 3, 2021|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.
8 tech stocks to buy for 2021|Anne Sraders|January 21, 2021|Fortune
China imported $350 billion worth of semiconductors in 2020, an increase of 15% over 2019.
Beijing’s quest for chip independence is made in Taiwan|Clay Chandler|January 21, 2021|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.
7 things we just learned about Sequoia’s European expansion plans|Steve O'Hear|November 23, 2020|TechCrunch
Likewise, the semiconductor industry as we know it today originated in the highly taxed 1970s, not the 1980s.
David's Book Club: Unintended Consequences|David Frum|July 3, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Take Intel, which has been the leading maker of semiconductor chips for decades.
What Market Panic? Halcyon Days for Silicon Valley|Zachary Karabell|March 7, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The chips that IBM has made still use traditional semiconductor materials.
How Computers Just Got More Human|Dan Lyons|September 21, 2011|DAILY BEAST
It may not be the only impurity causing the peculiar behavior of this semiconductor, but it does seem a likely candidate.
The Atomic Fingerprint|Bernard Keisch

British Dictionary definitions for semiconductor

semiconductor

/ (ˌsɛmɪkənˈdʌktə) /

noun

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, The behaviour may be exhibited by the pure substance (intrinsic semiconductor) or as a result of impurities (extrinsic semiconductor)

a device, such as a transistor or integrated circuit, that depends on the properties of such a substance
(as modifier)a semiconductor diode

Derived forms of semiconductor

semiconduction, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for semiconductor

semiconductor

[ sĕm′ē-kən-dŭk′tər ]

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.

Cultural definitions for semiconductor

semiconductor

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.