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Glite Dictionary
semiconductor device

semiconductor device

1 4.0
An electronic part made from a material that partly conducts electricity and controls its flow in circuits, like transistors
  • noun
  • /ˌsɛmɪˈkɒndʌktər dɪˈvaɪs/
  • Specialized
: dispositivo semiconductor
  • Engineers are creating advanced semiconductor devices that can operate at higher temperatures than traditional materials.

There are LEDs or semiconductor devices which provide photons with interesting statistical properties.

Examples

  • Advances in lithographic imaging techniques and materials have played a key role in the remarkable evolution of semiconductor devices and circuits, where the continuing drive toward miniaturization has led to improved performance and lower costs.

    Academic text (2001)

  • There are LEDs or semiconductor devices which provide photons with interesting statistical properties.

    MIT OpenCourseWare

  • Semiconductor device development has not been slowed as yet by physical limits but rather by economic ones.

    Academic text (1993)

  • The transistor was not the first semiconductor device, nor was silicon the first semiconductor material of choice.

    Academic text (1997)

  • Flash memories are the most promising of the nonvolatile semiconductor devices, although they have many practical drawbacks.

    Academic text (1995)

  • We expect that further development of semiconductor devices with low dark currents will allow tritium betavoltaics to approach the Q = 70% line.

    Academic text (2012)

  • The laser market has developed along a curve that mimics the development of the market for semiconductor devices and chips, with a time lag of roughly 17 years.

    Academic text (1993)

  • The device itself was invented in 1960, became a major element in computer memories by 1972, and is now the dominant active (or amplifying) semiconductor device.

    Academic text (1993)

  • A quantum leap in efficiency promises to come from the light-emitting diode, a solid-state semiconductor device that emits a bright light and has twice the efficiency and ten times the lifetime of CFLs.

    Academic text (1999)

  • The new generation of semiconductor devices plays a crucial role in modern electronics by regulating electrical flow efficiently.

Synonyms

semiconductor unit
vssemiconductor device
  • Specialized
5.5

A small part made from a material that controls electric current in electronic devices

is the general term for circuit components defined by intermediate electrical conductivity

Antonyms

conductor
  • Specialized
14 3.9

A material that lets electricity, heat, or sound pass through easily

insulator
  • Specialized
5 4.7

A material like glass that does not let electricity or heat pass through

How Conductive

superconductive
  • Specialized
1 8.0
conductive
  • Specialized
8 4.8
semiconductor device
  • Specialized
1 4.0
insulator
  • Specialized
5 4.7

Surface Forms

semiconductor device singular
semiconductor devices plural

Morphology

semiconductor + device

The meaning is directly compositional: a 'semiconductor device' is simply a 'device' made from a 'semiconductor' material, so a learner who knows both constituent meanings can derive the compound sense. This noun–noun compounding pattern is regular and cross-linguistically common, making the expression transparent despite its technical register.

Etymology

The name semiconductor device comes from materials that are partly a conductor and partly an insulator, because semi means 'partly'. Imagine a part that lets electricity through sometimes and blocks it other times. That 'in-between' ability to control electricity is why the phrase means an electronic component used in circuits.