Semiconductor

Semiconductor
A materials product - usually comprised of silicon - which conducts electricity more than an insulator but less than a pure conductor, such as copper and aluminum. Semiconductors are usually very small and complex devices, and can be found in thousands of products such as computers, cell phones, appliances, and medical equipment.

Also known as "chips" or "semis".

As semiconductors have evolved and become more powerful, they have propelled many industries forward into a technological age. They are still an expensive component in many devices, so their pricing and demand trends go a long way in determining the profit potential of companies that sell devices with semiconductors in them. Chips are made by the billions each year, and their sales & pricing trends are widely followed by analysts as a harbinger of technology-related profits.

Semiconductor makers often see "boom and bust" cycles based on the underlying demand for chip-based products. When times are good profit margins can run very high for chipmakers; when demand falls through however, chip prices can fall dramatically and have a major affect on many industries' supply chains.


Investment dictionary. . 2012.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • semiconductor — SEMICONDUCTÓR, OÁRE, semiconductori, oare, s.n., adj. 1. s.n. Material a cărui conductibilitate electrică este mai slabă decât cea a conductoarelor (metalelor) şi mai bună decât cea a izolatoarelor. ♦ p. ext. Component electronic activ. 2. adj.… …   Dicționar Român

  • semiconductor — sem‧i‧con‧duc‧tor [ˌsemikənˈdʌktə ǁ ər] noun [countable] COMPUTING a substance, such as silicon, used in electronic equipment to pass an electric current from one part of the equipment to another, or a chip made using this substance: • Hitachi… …   Financial and business terms

  • Semiconductor — Semiconductor. См. Полупроводник. (Источник: «Металлы и сплавы. Справочник.» Под редакцией Ю.П. Солнцева; НПО Профессионал , НПО Мир и семья ; Санкт Петербург, 2003 г.) …   Словарь металлургических терминов

  • semiconductor — Sustancia cristalina sólida cuya conductividad eléctrica es intermedia entre la de un conductor y un aislante. Los semiconductores de tipo n tiene unos electrones con una unión muy laxa, relativamente libres para moverse dentro del material. Los… …   Diccionario médico

  • Semiconductor —   [engl.], Halbleiter …   Universal-Lexikon

  • semiconductor — 1838, material whose electrical conductivity is between that of a conductor and that of an insulator, from SEMI (Cf. semi ) + CONDUCTOR (Cf. conductor). Modern very specific sense is recorded from 1931 …   Etymology dictionary

  • semiconductor — semiconductor, ra adjetivo,sustantivo masculino 1. [Material o sustancia] que tiene una resistividad tendente a disminuir a medida que aumenta la temperatura: propiedad semiconductora. Los semiconductores se utilizan en la fabricación de… …   Diccionario Salamanca de la Lengua Española

  • semiconductor — semiconductor, ra adj. Electr. Se dice de las sustancias aislantes, como el germanio y el silicio, que se transforman en conductores por la adición de determinadas impurezas. Se usan en la fabricación de transistores, chips y derivados. U. t. c.… …   Diccionario de la lengua española

  • semiconductor — ► NOUN ▪ a solid, e.g. silicon, whose conductivity is between that of an insulator and a conductive metal and increases with temperature. DERIVATIVES semi conducting adjective …   English terms dictionary

  • semiconductor — [sem΄i kən duk′tər] n. 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,… …   English World dictionary

  • Semiconductor — Citations missing|date=March 2008A semiconductor is a solid material that has electrical conductivity in between a conductor and an insulator; it can vary over that wide range either permanently or dynamically. [. They are used in many… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”