Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
🔆 A silicon material 🔆 Made of silicon crystals
polysilicon

polysilicon

1 7.4
A material made from many small silicon crystals used in electronics and solar panels
  • noun
  • /ˌpɒliˈsɪlɪkən/
  • Specialized
: policristalino
  • Hemlock Semiconductor just started building a polysilicon plant in Tennessee.
  • polysilicon gate
  • polysilicon layer
  • polysilicon conductor

Examples

  • The factory produces high-quality polysilicon that is essential for efficient solar panel manufacturing.

  • Half the world's third-rank polysilicon producers could face bankruptcy in the months ahead.

    Blog text (30)

  • Maybe half of the tier 3 suppliers will still be around when the price of polysilicon picks up.

    Blog text (30)

  • The chips contain one level of polysilicon and four levels of metal wiring.

    Academic text (1994)

  • China's recent involvement in the production of polysilicon for solar panels has completely reshaped the global landscape of competition, leading to a sharp drop in prices for PV modules.

    Academic text (2011)

  • Innovations in technology have made the production of polysilicon faster and more cost-effective for the electronics industry.

  • Many companies are investing in polysilicon to meet the rising demand for solar energy solutions.

Surface Forms

polysilicon singular
polysilicons plural

Morphology

polysilicon = silicon (opaque) = poly + silicon

Although the form looks like poly- + silicon, the noun is really a technical shortening of polycrystalline silicon, so the meaning is not fully recoverable from the visible parts.

Etymology

The word polysilicon comes from poly- meaning 'many' and silicon, the element used in electronics. It names silicon that is made of 'many' small crystals, which is why it is the basic material for solar panels and microchips.