Puolijohteiseen

Puolijohteiseen refers to something that is semiconducting in nature. A semiconductor is a material that has electrical conductivity between that of a conductor and an insulator. This property makes it useful in the electronics industry. The conductivity of a semiconductor can be controlled by adding impurities, a process known as doping, or by altering its temperature or exposure to light.

The most common semiconductor materials are silicon and germanium. In their pure form, these materials are poor conductors. However, when doped with small amounts of other elements, their electrical properties change dramatically. For example, adding elements with more valence electrons than silicon (like phosphorus) creates n-type semiconductors, where the majority charge carriers are electrons. Adding elements with fewer valence electrons (like boron) creates p-type semiconductors, where the majority charge carriers are holes, which are essentially the absence of an electron.

The ability to control conductivity through doping is fundamental to the operation of many electronic devices, including transistors, diodes, and integrated circuits. These devices form the building blocks of modern electronics, from simple calculators to complex computers and smartphones. The study and application of semiconducting materials is a core area of solid-state physics and materials science.