SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE

electronic circuit component made from a material that is neither a good conductor nor a good insulator (hence semiconductor) and that may serve as a rectifier, amplifier, switch, light detector or emitter, or in other functions. electronic circuit component made from a material that is neither a good conductor nor a good insulator (hence semiconductor). Such devices have found wide applications because of their compactness, reliability, and low cost. As discrete components, they have found use in power devices, optical sensors, and light emitters, including solid-state lasers. They have a wide range of current- and voltage-handling capabilities, with current ratings from a few nanoamperes (10-9 ampere) to more than 5,000 amperes and voltage ratings extending above 100,000 volts. More importantly, semiconductor devices lend themselves to integration into complex but readily manufacturable microelectronic circuits. They are, and will be in the foreseeable future, the key elements for the majority of electronic systems, including communications, consumer, data-processing, and industrial-control equipment. Additional reading Semiconductor devices and related subjects receive full coverage in the following works: R.A. Smith, Semiconductors, 2nd ed. (1978), a classic text on semiconductor physics; S.M. Sze, Physics of Semiconductor Devices, 2nd ed. (1981), an in-depth treatment of physics and mathematical formulations of semiconductor devices, and Semiconductor Devices: Physics and Technology (1985), an introduction to the physical principles of semiconductor devices and their fabrication technology; W.E. Beadle, J.C.C. Tsai, and R.D. Plummer (eds.), Quick Reference Manual for Silicon Integrated Circuit Technology (1985), an extensive collection of tables and charts for device design and fabrication; and S.M. Sze (ed.), VLSI Technology, 2nd ed. (1988), a complete volume on the theoretical and practical aspects of silicon-processing technology from discrete to very-large-scale integrated circuits. S.M. Sze