Semiconductor industry has come to influence our lives since fifty yearsago, A semiconductor is a material with electrical conductivity intermediate inmagnitude between that of a conductor and an insulator. Common semiconductingmaterials are crystalline solids—chips, but liquid semiconductors are alsoknown. "$YLU}S9
From the time a microchip turns on your central heating in the morning,through the ones that control your car engine, the appliances in your home andthe environment in your workplace, semiconductors are in everything we use.Semiconductor materials are the foundation of modern electronics, includingradio, computers, telephones, and many other devices. Such devices includetransistors, solar cells, many kinds of diodes including the light-emittingdiode (LED), the silicon controlled rectifier, photo-diode, and digital andanalog integrated circuits. The next major revolution looks set to be driven bythe semiconductor. /h R]aw
Semiconductors get everywhere-in the past fifteen years PCs and mobilephones have been the driving force behind much of the semiconductor industry'sgrowth. The Internet may provide more stimulus than either of them. One thingfor sure, you will use perhaps 20 semiconductors today and many, many more inthe coming decade. It may sound futuristic, but they are already beingdeveloped. aBLb i
