A semiconductor is a material which conducts electricity more than an insulator, such as glass, but less than a pure conductor, such as copper. Their conductivity can be altered to meet the specific needs of the electronic component in which it resides. Semiconductors can be found in thousands of products such as computers, smartphones, appliances, and medical equipment.
Silicon semiconductors are used in virtually every electronic device and component, but compound semiconductors are growing globally as well. They are critical in optical applications like light-emitting diodes (LEDs), photodetectors, IR detectors and focal plane arrays. Some, like focal plane arrays, are low-throughput applications. Due to growing consumer demand, many of these applications, such as RF power transistors in cell phones, require high-volume manufacturing.
