Dictionary

semiconductor en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˌsɛmikənˈdʌktɚ/ (Canada, General-American)
• /ˌsemikənˈdɐktə/ (Australia, New-Zealand)
• (London) audio
• /ˌsɛmikənˈdʌktə/ (Received-Pronunciation)

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *sem- Proto-Indo-European *sēmi Latin sēmi-bor. English semi- English conductor English semiconductor From semi- + conductor.

Meanings

1. A substance with electrical properties intermediate between a good conductor and a good insulator.
   • In this sense we are to understand the following table in which bodies are classed as conductors, semiconductors, and nonconductors; those bodies being conveniently designated as conductors which, when applied to an electroscope charged with either kind of electricity discharge it almost instantaneously; semiconductors being those which discharge it in a short but measurable time, a few seconds, for instance; while nonconductors effect no discharge even, in the course of a minute. 1876, Adolphe Ganot, Natural Philosophy for General Readers and Young Persons, page 422:
   • Integrated circuits are made from semiconductors, especially silicon.
   • Holonyms: chip, microchip, integrated circuit
   • The following table of conductors may therefore be used in inverse order as a table of resistances, the good conductors being bodies of slight resistance, the semiconductors being bodies of great resistance, and the insulators being bodies of so great resistance that they almost effectually oppose the passage of any current. 1901, George W. Jacoby, A System of Physiologic Therapeutics: Electrotherapy:
2. (abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis, metonymically) Ellipsis of semiconductor device.
   alt of semiconductor device
   • Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. on Wednesday said its revenues increased more sharply in the first quarter of 2024 than in any previous quarter since 2022 following a surge in demand for microchips driven by the artificial-intelligence boom. TSMC, which supplies semiconductors to top companies including Apple and Nvidia, posted a 16.5% increase in its first-quarter sales to NT$592.64 billion ($18.54 billion), in a sign the global chip market has now started recovering from the major slump that hit sales in 2023. 2024 April 10, Louis Goss, “Chip maker TSMC posts sharpest increase in sales since 2022 following AI boom”, in MarketWatch, archived from the original on 17 Apr 2024, retrieved 08 May 2024:
   • The company supplies semiconductors to laptop, server, and smartphone manufacturers.
   • Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo proudly held up the progress of American industry on semiconductor manufacturing Sunday, declaring the U.S. has “outinnovated” China as the two nations fight to advance their domestic technology manufacturing. 2024 April 21, Nick Robertson, “Gina Raimondo says ‘we’ve outinnovated China’ amid chips war”, in The Hill, archived from the original on 25 Apr 2024:
   • Near-synonyms: chip, microchip, integrated circuit

Forms

Deriveds

intrinsic semiconductor · semiconductor heterostructure · semiconductor memory

Relateds

semiconducting · silicium · semiconduction · semiconductivity · germanium · semiconductance · silicon · semiconductive

Synonyms

microchip · integrated circuit · chip

Translations (70)

bg полупрово́дник (substance with electrical properties between conductor and insulator) · be паўправадні́к (substance with electrical properties between conductor and insulator) · ar شِبْه مُوَصِّل (substance with electrical properties between conductor and insulator) · yue 半導體 /半导体 (substance with electrical properties between conductor and insulator) · fa-ira نیمرِسانا (substance with electrical properties between conductor and insulator) · id semikonduktor (substance with electrical properties between conductor and insulator) · km អង្គធាតុកន្លះចម្លង (substance with electrical properties between conductor and insulator) · ca semiconductor (substance with electrical properties between conductor and insulator) · el ημιαγωγός (substance with electrical properties between conductor and insulator) · uz yarimoʻtkazgich (substance with electrical properties between conductor and insulator) · eo semikonduktaĵo (substance with electrical properties between conductor and insulator) · he מוֹלִיךְ לְמֶחֱצָה (substance with electrical properties between conductor and insulator) · ko 반도체 (substance with electrical properties between conductor and insulator) · sk polovodič (substance with electrical properties between conductor and insulator) · ru полупроводни́к (substance with electrical properties between conductor and insulator) · pt semicondutor (substance with electrical properties between conductor and insulator) · fi puolijohde (substance with electrical properties between conductor and insulator) · km សឺមីកុងឌុចទ័រ (substance with electrical properties between conductor and insulator) · mk полуспроводник (substance with electrical properties between conductor and insulator) · hu félvezető (substance with electrical properties between conductor and insulator) · lv pusvadītājs (substance with electrical properties between conductor and insulator) · my တပိုင်းလျှပ်ကူး (substance with electrical properties between conductor and insulator) · sh poluvòdīč (substance with electrical properties between conductor and insulator) · sl polprevodnik (substance with electrical properties between conductor and insulator) · mn хагас дамжуулагч (substance with electrical properties between conductor and insulator) · tk ýarymgeçiriji (substance with electrical properties between conductor and insulator) · cs polovodič (substance with electrical properties between conductor and insulator) · bn অর্ধপরিবাহী (substance with electrical properties between conductor and insulator) · sh полуво̀дӣч (substance with electrical properties between conductor and insulator) · nl halfgeleider (substance with electrical properties between conductor and insulator) · eo duonkonduktanto (substance with electrical properties between conductor and insulator) · nb halvleder (substance with electrical properties between conductor and insulator) · da halvleder (substance with electrical properties between conductor and insulator) · th สารกึ่งตัวนำ (substance with electrical properties between conductor and insulator) · et pooljuht (substance with electrical properties between conductor and insulator) · ms semikonduktor (substance with electrical properties between conductor and insulator) · ug يېرىم ئۆتكۈزگۈچ (substance with electrical properties between conductor and insulator) · pl półprzewodnik (substance with electrical properties between conductor and insulator) · tl malasaluyan (substance with electrical properties between conductor and insulator) · eu erdieroale (substance with electrical properties between conductor and insulator) · ms separa pengalir (substance with electrical properties between conductor and insulator) · eo duonkonduktaĵo (substance with electrical properties between conductor and insulator) · az yarımkeçirici (substance with electrical properties between conductor and insulator) · ro semiconductor (substance with electrical properties between conductor and insulator) · lo ສານກິ່ງຕົວນຳ (substance with electrical properties between conductor and insulator) · it semiconduttore (substance with electrical properties between conductor and insulator) · uk напівпровідни́к (substance with electrical properties between conductor and insulator) · ky жарым өткөргүч (substance with electrical properties between conductor and insulator) · cmn 半導體 /半导体 (substance with electrical properties between conductor and insulator) · hi अर्धचालक पदार्थ (substance with electrical properties between conductor and insulator) · ka ნახევარგამტარი (substance with electrical properties between conductor and insulator) · fr semiconducteur (substance with electrical properties between conductor and insulator) · hy կիսահաղորդիչ (substance with electrical properties between conductor and insulator) · tl semikonduktor (substance with electrical properties between conductor and insulator) · tg нимноқил (substance with electrical properties between conductor and insulator) · ga leathsheoltóir (substance with electrical properties between conductor and insulator) · my ဆီမီကွန်ဒက်တာ (substance with electrical properties between conductor and insulator) · sv halvledare (substance with electrical properties between conductor and insulator) · kk шалаөткізгіш (substance with electrical properties between conductor and insulator) · vi chất bán dẫn (substance with electrical properties between conductor and insulator) · gd fo-ghiùlanair (substance with electrical properties between conductor and insulator) · sq gjysmëpërcjellës (substance with electrical properties between conductor and insulator) · es semiconductor (substance with electrical properties between conductor and insulator) · cy lled-ddargludydd (substance with electrical properties between conductor and insulator) · ja 半導体 (substance with electrical properties between conductor and insulator) · tr yarı iletken (substance with electrical properties between conductor and insulator) · is hálfleiðari (substance with electrical properties between conductor and insulator) · ur نِیم مُوَصِّل (substance with electrical properties between conductor and insulator) · de Halbleiter (substance with electrical properties between conductor and insulator) · lt puslaidininkis (substance with electrical properties between conductor and insulator)