semiconductor

Everyday

1. A material, such as silicon, that lets electricity flow through it better than an insulator but not as well as a metal, and whose flow can be controlled. tree →
2. A device or chip made from such material, used in computers and phones. tree →

In the lessons

In science lessons on electricity, materials are conductors (metals), insulators (plastic, rubber) and semiconductors in between. In technology and news, semiconductors (chips) are inside phones, cars and computers; countries like Taiwan, South Korea and the USA make many of them. Phrases: «semiconductor chip», «semiconductor industry».

Examples

• Silicon is the most common semiconductor. tree →
• Every phone contains tiny semiconductor chips. tree →
• A semiconductor conducts electricity better than rubber but worse than copper. tree →
• Solar panels use semiconductors to turn light into electricity. tree →
• There was a shortage of semiconductors, so car factories slowed down. tree →
• LED lights are made with semiconductors. tree →

Note

Countable: semiconductors. «Semi-» means half or partly. Silicon Valley in California is named after the semiconductor silicon. Not the same as a «superconductor», which carries electricity with no resistance at all.