A semiconductor is a substance used in electronics whose ability to conduct electricity increases with greater heat.
semiconductor in British English
(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. The behaviour may be exhibited by the pure substance (intrinsic semiconductor) or as a result of impurities (extrinsic semiconductor)
2.
a.
a device, such as a transistor or integrated circuit, that depends on the properties of such a substance
b.
(as modifier)
a semiconductor diode
Derived forms
semiconduction (ˌsemiconˈduction)
noun
semiconductor in American English
(ˌsɛmɪkənˈdʌktər)
noun
a substance, as germanium or silicon, whose conductivity is poor at low temperatures but is improved by minute additions of certain substances or by the application of heat, light, or voltage: used in transistors, rectifiers, etc.
semiconductor in Electrical Engineering
(sɛmikəndʌktər)
Word forms: (regular plural) semiconductors
noun
(Electrical engineering: Semiconductor and electronic circuitry)
A semiconductor is a substance that can act as an electrical conductor or insulator depending on chemical alterations or external conditions.
Air, glass, most plastics, and rubber are insulators, and then there are some materialscalled semiconductors, that seem to be good conductors sometimes but much less so at other times.
Semiconductors such as germanium and silicon are neither conductors nor insulators of electricity,but possess unique electrical properties that make them excellent signal detectors.
A semiconductor is a substance that can act as an electrical conductor or insulator depending onchemical alterations or external conditions.
Examples of 'semiconductor' in a sentence
semiconductor
The city is also something of a technology hub, hosting a cluster of leading semiconductor makers.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
It intends to hang on to the part of its semiconductor business responsible for design, according to reports.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
This seems counterintuitive, because semiconductor makers should be at full tilt supplying the new generation of smartphones and tablets.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
The semiconductor sector will be slow to recover, with any pick-up in volumes likely to be partially offset by pressure on price.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
It has raised 186 million and will be one of the largest listed technology hardware stocks in the UK outside the semiconductor sector.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
In other languages
semiconductor
British English: semiconductor NOUN
A semiconductor is a substance used in electronics whose ability to conduct electricity increases with greater heat.
American English: semiconductor
Brazilian Portuguese: semicondutor
Chinese: 半导体
European Spanish: semiconductor
French: semiconducteur
German: Halbleiter
Italian: semiconduttore
Japanese: 半導体
Korean: 반도체
European Portuguese: semicondutor
Latin American Spanish: semiconductor
All related terms of 'semiconductor'
semiconductor diode
a semiconductor device containing one p-n junction , used in circuits for converting alternating current to direct current
compensated semiconductor
a semiconductor in which donors and acceptors are related in such a way that their opposing electrical effects are partially cancelled
extrinsic semiconductor
a semiconductor into which a doping agent has been introduced , giving it different electrical properties than the intrinsic semiconductor
intrinsic semiconductor
an almost pure semiconductor to which no impurities have been added and in which the electron and hole densities are equal at thermal equilibrium
i-type semiconductor
an almost pure semiconductor to which no impurities have been added and in which the electron and hole densities are equal at thermal equilibrium
diode
a semiconductor device containing one p-n junction , used in circuits for converting alternating current to direct current