SEMICONDUCTORS
They are materials capable of acting as electrical conductors or as electrical insulators, depending on the physical conditions in which they are found. These conditions usually involve temperature and pressure, the incidence of radiation or the intensity of the electric field or magnetic field to which the material is subjected.
They are made up of chemical elements that are very different from each other, which in fact come from different regions of the Periodic Table, but which share certain chemical features (they are generally tetravalent), which give them their particular electrical properties. Currently, the most widely used semiconductor is silicon (Si), particularly in the electronics and computer industry.
APPLICATIONS
transistors
Integrated circuits
electrical diodes
optical sensors
solid state lasers
Electric drive modulators (like an electric guitar amp)
EXAMPLES
Silicon (Si)
Germanium (Ge), often in silicon alloys
Gallium Arsenide (GaAs)
Sulfur
Oxygen
Cadmium
Selenium
Indian
Other chemical materials resulting from the combination of elements from groups 12 and 13 of the periodic table, with elements from groups 16 and 15 respectively.