A semi-conductor is a material which is neither a conductor, nor an insulator
and may loosely be described as having a resistivity 10
6
times that of a good
conductor and 10~
6
times that of a good insulator. When an electronic com-
ponent operates due to the movement of electrons within a piece of solid semi-
conductor material, then it is called a solid-state device.
The electrical properties of such semi-conductor materials depend upon the
structure of their crystals and their electron bonding characteristics. It has been
found that germanium and silicon have the most suitable crystal structure and
bonding characteristic ...
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