Definition of "semiconductor" []

• Any of various solid crystalline substances, such as germanium or silicon, having electrical conductivity greater than insulators but less than good conductors, and used especially as a base material for computer chips and other electronic devices. (noun)
• An integrated circuit or other electronic component containing a semiconductor as a base material. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "For six years he taught a graduate course in semiconductor device physics at the University of California, Berkeley."
• "PCMOS, which stands for probabilistic complementary metal oxide semiconductor, is a breakthrough that could boost performance of graphics on mobile phones, encryption and chips used inside medical implants without sucking as much power."
• "But he also notes that the progress made in semiconductor manufacturing means that multiple functions can be combined on a piece of monolithic silicon that can cost less and create a smaller device — which means the dumber PC model could win out, even on smartphones."