semiconductor
/ˌsemikənˈdʌktər/
a material whose electrical conductivity falls between that of a conductor and an insulator, enabling precise control of current
semiconductor in a sentence
“Silicon's properties as a semiconductor make it ideal for transistors.”
Origin of semiconductor
Latin semi- half + conductor from conducere to lead together
Related Words
wafer
a thin, circular disc of semiconductor material (typically silicon) on which integrated circuits are fabricated
die
a single chip cut from a wafer; the individual integrated circuit before packaging
lithography
the process of printing microscopic circuit patterns onto silicon using light or other radiation
doping
introducing controlled impurities into a semiconductor to alter its electrical properties
process node
a generation of chip manufacturing technology, historically named for its smallest feature size in nanometers
yield
the percentage of functional dies on a wafer; a key measure of manufacturing efficiency and profitability