Electronic Materials

This chapter traces the increasing number of materials used in electronic devices over time. The main areas covered are silicon device technology, compound semiconductor device technology, and displays. In each area, the elements of the periodic table which are used in the production of these devices are shown. The main device types in the silicon area includebipolar and metal-oxide-silicon (MOS) silicon transistors for integrated circuits, power devices, and photovoltaic devices. In the compound device area, metal-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MESFETs), high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs), and heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBTs)compound semiconductor are described. Optoelectronic and photovoltaic devices are briefly addressed. In the display area, cathode ray tubes as well as modern flat panel display technology is covered, such as plasma display panels (PDPs), liquid crystal displays (LCDs), electrophoretic displays, and organic light emitting diode displays (OLEDs). Combined, well over 50 elements are used to produce these devices.