Semiconductors and the Information Revolution

CHAPTER 5. Laser Beams and Microwaves

Gallium Arsenide and Indium Phosphide

So far in our journey through the semiconductor landscape, we have been obliged to concentrate attention almost exclusively on germanium and silicon, for the simple reason that these two materials totally dominated the early development of semiconductor devices. The transistor was born of germanium and the first effective field-effect device of silicon (and its wonderful oxide). Then, as we saw in Chapter 4, silicon, with its larger band gap, gradually took over complete responsibility for both integrated circuits and power devices. Once the rather more recalcitrant technology of silicon had been tamed, there seemed to be no need for the involvement of any other material ...