Essential Guide to Semiconductors, The

Semiconductor Family Tree

Figure 2.1 shows an overall “family tree” for all types of semiconductors. It starts with raw silicon (and other natural materials) on the left and moves to progressively more elaborate types of manufactured semiconductors on the right. Each box along the way represents a different type of semiconductor unit, or component, that you can buy today. (In this chapter we use the word component to refer to all different types of semiconductor products. Later on, we'll fine-tune our terminology.)

Figure 2.1. Semiconductor family tree. Silicon can be processed to make a number of useful, small, mostly analog, discrete components. Combinations of these can be made into simple digital circuits, combinations of which can form larger, ...