What Are Semiconductor Devices?

A semiconductor device is an electronic device that is conductive between a good conductor and an insulator, and uses special electrical characteristics of semiconductor materials to accomplish specific functions. It can be used to generate, control, receive, transform, amplify signals, and perform energy conversion.

Semiconductor devices usually use different semiconductor materials, different processes and geometries, and have developed a wide variety of crystal diodes with different functions and uses. The frequency coverage of crystal diodes can range from low and high frequencies. , Microwave, millimeter wave, infrared to light wave. Three-terminal devices are generally active devices, which are typically represented by various transistors (also known as crystalline transistors). Transistors can be divided into two types: bipolar transistors and field effect transistors. According to different uses, transistors can be divided into power transistors, microwave transistors and low noise transistors. In addition to general transistors for amplification, oscillation, and switching, there are also some special-purpose transistors, such as phototransistors, magneto-sensitive transistors, and field-effect sensors. These devices can not only convert the information of some environmental factors into electrical signals, but also have the amplification effect of ordinary transistors to obtain larger output signals. In addition, there are some special devices such as

Chinese semiconductor device model naming method

The semiconductor device model consists of five parts (field effect devices, special semiconductor devices, composite tubes, PIN tubes, and laser devices with only three, four, and five model names). The five parts are as follows:

The first part: the number of effective electrodes of a semiconductor device. 2-diode, 3-transistor

The second part: using the Chinese phonetic alphabet to indicate the material and polarity of semiconductor devices. When the diode is shown: AN type germanium material, BP type germanium material, CN type silicon material, DP type silicon material. When the transistor is shown: A-PNP type germanium material, B-NPN type germanium material, C-PNP type silicon material, D-NPN type silicon material.

The third part: use Chinese pinyin to indicate the type of semiconductor device. P-common tube, V-microwave tube, W-regulator tube, C-parameter tube, Z-rectifier tube, L-rectifier stack, S-tunnel tube, N-damping tube, U-photoelectric device, K-switch tube , X-low frequency low power tube (F <3MHz, Pc3MHz, Pc <1W), D-low frequency high power tube (f1W), A-high frequency high power tube (f> 3MHz, Pc> 1W), T-semiconductor thyristor (Controllable Rectifier), Y-body effect device, B-avalanche tube, J-step recovery tube, CS-field effect tube, BT-semiconductor special device, FH-composite tube, PIN-PIN tube, JG-laser Pieces.

Part 4: Use the number to represent the serial number

Part 5: Use Chinese Pinyin to indicate the specification number

For example: 3DG18 means NPN silicon material high frequency transistor

Japanese semiconductor discrete device model naming method

Semiconductor discrete devices produced in Japan, consisting of five to seven parts. Usually only the first five parts are used, and the symbols of each part have the following meanings:

The first part: use the number to indicate the number or type of effective electrodes of the device. 0-photoelectric (ie photosensitive) diode triode and the combination of the above devices, 1-diode, 2 triodes or other devices with two pn junctions, 3-other devices with four active electrodes or three pn junctions, And so on.

Part II: JEIA registered mark of Japan Electronics Industry Association. S- indicates a semiconductor discrete device registered with the Japan Electronics Industry Association JEIA.

Part III: Use letters to indicate the polarity and type of materials used in the device. A-PNP type high frequency tube, B-PNP type low frequency tube, C-NPN type high frequency tube, D-NPN type low frequency tube, FP control thyristor, GN control thyristor, HN base single junction transistor , JP channel FET, KN channel FET, M-triac.

Part 4: Use the number to indicate the serial number registered in the Japan Electronics Industry Association JEIA. Two or more integers-starting with "11", indicating the serial number registered in the Japan Electronics Industry Association JEIA; devices with the same performance of different companies can use the same serial number; the larger the number, the more the product.

Part 5: Use the letters to indicate the improved product logo of the same model. A, B, C, D, E, F indicate that this device is an improved product of the original model.

American semiconductor discrete device model naming method

American transistor or other semiconductor device nomenclature is more confusing. The American Electronics Industry Association semiconductor discrete device naming method is as follows:

The first part: use the symbol to indicate the type of device use. JAN-military grade, JANTX-special military grade, JANTXV-super special military grade, JANS-space category, (none)-non-military supplies.

The second part: the number of pn junctions. 1-diode, 2 = transistor, 3-three pn junction devices, nn pn junction devices.

Part III: American Electronics Industry Association (EIA) registration mark. N-The device is registered with the American Electronics Industry Association (EIA).

Part 4: American Electronics Industry Association registration sequence number. Multi-digit number-The serial number of the device registered with the American Electronics Industry Association.

Part 5: Use letters to indicate device binning. A, B, C, D, -different grades of the same model. For example: JAN2N3251A means PNP silicon high-frequency low-power switching transistor, JAN-military grade, 2-triode, N-EIA registration mark, 3251-EIA registration sequence number, A-2N3251A file.

International Electronic Federation Semiconductor Device Model Nomenclature

European countries such as Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Eastern European countries such as Hungary, Romania, Yugoslavia, and Poland all adopt the International Electronic Federation semiconductor discrete device model naming method. This naming method consists of four basic parts, and the symbols and meanings of each part are as follows:

Part I: Use letters to indicate the materials used in the device. The forbidden band width Eg of materials used in A-devices is 0.6 1.0eV, such as germanium, Eg of materials used in B-devices is 1.0 1.3eV, such as silicon, the materials used in C-devices are Eg> 1.3eV, such as gallium arsenide, Eg <0.6eV for device materials, such as indium antimonide, composite materials for E-devices, and materials for photovoltaic cells

The second part: use letters to indicate the type and main characteristics of the device. A-detection switch mixing diode, B-variable diode, C-low frequency low power transistor, D-low frequency high power transistor, E-tunnel diode, F-high frequency low power transistor, G-composite device and other devices, H -Magneto-sensitive diode, K-Hall element in open magnetic circuit, L-high frequency and high power triode, M-Hall element in closed magnetic circuit, P-photosensitive device, Q-light-emitting device, R-low power thyristor , S-small power switch, T-high power thyristor, U-high power switch, X-multiplier diode, Y-rectifier diode, Z- Zener diode.

Part III: Represent the registration number with numbers or letters plus numbers. Three digits-represents the registration number of the general-purpose semiconductor device, and one letter plus two digits-represents the registration number of the dedicated semiconductor device.

Part 4: Use letters to bin the same type number of devices. A, B, C, D, E-It is a mark indicating that the devices of the same model are classified according to a certain parameter.

In addition to the four basic parts, suffixes are sometimes added to distinguish characteristics or further classify. The common suffixes are as follows:

1. The suffix of the Zener diode model. The first part of the suffix is a letter, which indicates the allowable error range of the stable voltage value. The letters A, B, C, D, and E indicate that the allowable error is ± 1%, ± 2%, ± 5%, ± 10%, ± 15%; the second part of the suffix is a number, which represents the integer value of the nominal stable voltage; the third part of the suffix is the letter V, which represents the decimal point, and the number after the letter V is the decimal value of the nominal stable voltage of the voltage regulator.

2. The suffix of the rectifier diode is a number, which indicates the maximum reverse peak withstand voltage of the device, the unit is volts.

3. The suffix of the thyristor model is also a number, and the voltage value with the smaller value between the maximum reverse peak withstand voltage and the maximum reverse turn-off voltage is usually marked.

For example: BDX51- means NPN silicon low-frequency high-power transistor, AF239S- means PNP germanium high-frequency low-power transistor.

The crystal diode, triode, and resistor and capacitor are all fabricated on the same silicon chip, which is called an integrated circuit. Small-scale integrated circuits with less than 100 components integrated on a silicon chip are called medium-scale integrated circuits from 100 to 1,000 components, and large-scale integrated circuits from 1000 to 100,000 components are called , More than 100,000 components are called

This year marks the 50th anniversary of Moore's Law, and its birth is a milestone in the history of semiconductor technology.

In these 50 years, Moore's Law has become a guiding light for the development of information technology. Computers have changed from mysterious and inaccessible behemoths to indispensable tools for most people. Information technology has entered countless ordinary homes from the laboratory, the Internet has connected the world, and multimedia audiovisual equipment has enriched everyone's life. This law determines that changes in information technology are accelerating and products are changing faster and faster. People have seen that the innovation of technology and products generally follows its pace. Most of the pioneers become pioneers, while the laggards are easily eliminated.

The driving force behind all this is semiconductor chips. If transistors, resistors, and capacitors are mounted on circuit boards in the old way, not only personal computers and mobile communications will not appear, but new technologies such as genome research, computer-aided design and manufacturing will not be available. Relevant experts point out that Moore's Law is not just a law for chip technology; in the near future, it may expand to wireless technology, optical technology, sensor technology and other fields, and become a guiding ideology for people to explore and innovate in unknown fields.

There is no doubt that Moore's Law has profound implications for the entire world. However, as transistor circuits approach their performance limits, this rule will come to an end. When does Moore's Law fail? Experts disagree on this. As early as 1995 at the International Symposium on Information Technology in Chicago, American scientist and engineer Jack Kilby said that the advent of the 5nm processor might end Moore's Law. Chinese scientist and futurist Zhou Haizhong predicted at the seminar that Moore's Law is likely to fail in 30 years due to the rapid development of nanotechnology. In 2012, Japanese-American theoretical physicist Dalai Xiong said in an interview with the think tank website, "In about 10 years, we will see the collapse of Moore's Law." Not long ago, Moore thought that the rule had arrived It will be overshadowed by 2020. Some experts point out that even if Moore's Law is dead, the pace of information technology will not slow down. ^[1]