semiconductor

What: "A semiconductor is like an insulator except that the energy required to free some electrons is not quite so great. The process of doping can supply electrons or positive charge carriers that are very loosely held within the material and thus are easy to get moving. Also, by controlling the doping of a semiconductor, one can control the density of charge carriers that are responsible for a current."

Writer: Not Stated

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Where:

Date: Mar 4 2014 1:40 PM

What:

"Imagine that a semiconductor is like a cold pipe full of water. In its natural state, most of the water is frozen solid-only a little can flow-and the material is an insulator. However, if we raise the Fermi level, we melt the water so that it can flow. "

Writer: JONAH

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Where:

Date: Mar 4 2014 1:51 PM

What:

"A semiconductor is like a raisin cake, where the raisins give the cake the special flavor that makes it sell. By itself, a semiconductor can't really conduct electricity that well, but if you introduce impurities into it then those impurities turn it into a conductor. The impurities are called dopants, and electric current travels through doped silicon under the right conditions. Think of the dopant atoms as the raisins in the raisin cake, and the raw semiconductor material that's in between the dopant atoms as the cake in which the raisins sit."

Writer: Jon Stokes

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Where:

Date: Mar 4 2014 1:57 PM

What: "A p-type semiconductor is like crazed pieces of Swiss cheese in which you can't quite get a fix on the holes because they're always moving." From:Electronics All-in-One For Dummies

Writer: Dickon Ross, Doug Lowe

LCC:

Where:

Date: Mar 4 2014 2:00 PM

What:

Stained glass window creation:
1. Turn sand into glass
2. Add impurities to cause desirable properties (colors)
3. Cut and polish glass
4. Repeat as needed to build up final window parts from components
5. Dice and assemble with metal interconnects into final structure
6. Install into windows.

Semiconductor lithography:
1. Turn sand into glass(ish)
2. Add impurities to cause desirable properties (electrical)
3. Cut and polish wafer
4. Repeat as needed to build up to final wafer layer from components
5. Dice and assemble with metal interconnects into final structure
6. Install Windows.
Seems about the same.

Writer: quickthrowaway6

LCC:

Where:

Date: Sep 21 2015 11:39 AM

What:

"An intrinsic semiconductor crystal is like a sea with no air bubbles below the surface and no water droplets above the surface. A metal with conduction electrons is like a sea with no air bubbles but lots of sea spray far above the surface of the sea."

Writer: Darwin123

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Where:

Date: Jul 22 2015 10:11 AM