Computer Hardware Terms, Glossary and Dictionary

Semiconductor is a material that is neither a good conductor of electricity nor a good insulator. A semiconductor behaves as an insulator at very low temperature, and has an appreciable electrical conductance at room temperature. A semiconductor can be distinguished from a conductor by the fact that, at absolute zero, the uppermost filled electron energy band is fully filled in a semiconductor, but only partially filled in a conductor. A semiconductor has a band gap which is small enough such that its conduction band is appreciably thermally populated with electrons at room temperature, whilst an insulator has a band gap which is too wide for there to be appreciable thermal electrons in its conduction band at room temperature. The most common semiconductor materials are silicon and germanium. These materials are then doped to create an excess or lack of electrons.

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semiconductor