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Perspectives on Electronic and Optoelectronic Materials

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Springer Handbook of Electronic and Photonic Materials

Part of the book series: Springer Handbooks ((SHB))

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Abstract

This opening chapter will concentrate on the changes in the world of semiconducting materials and devices over the latter half of the twentieth century. Within this field we have chosen to concentrate on a few developments and cannot claim to cover all of the major areas. What we plan to do is give a sense of perspective of how the science and technology of these materials has come to its current state and to present a brief overview of why certain materials are chosen for particular device applications.

We start by identifying some of the earliest developments in our understanding of electronic materials; follow the development of silicon technology from the first demonstration of the transistor through to todayʼs integrated circuit; track some of the key electronic and optoelectronic uses of the conventional III–V semiconductors; and end with a review of the last decadeʼs explosion of interest in the III–nitride materials. The band gaps of the semiconductors encountered in this chapter are shown in Fig. 1.1 – a figure which will be frequently referred to in explaining the choice of materials for specific applications.

Parameter perspective: band gaps and lattice parameters of selected semiconductors discussed in the text. The important wavelengths for optical storage (CD, DVD and Blu–Ray) and the 1.55 μm used for efficient data transmission through optical fibres are labelled

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Abbreviations

CMOS:

complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor

DH:

double heterostructure

DVD:

digital versatile disk

ELOG:

epitaxial layer overgrowth

FET:

field effect transistor

HEMT:

high electron mobility transistor

IC:

integrated circuit

LED:

light-emitting diodes

LPE:

liquid phase epitaxy

MBE:

molecular beam epitaxy

MESFET:

metal-semiconductor field-effect transistor

MOCVD:

metal-organic chemical vapor deposition

MOS:

metal/oxide/semiconductor

MOSFET:

metal/oxide/semiconductor field effect transistor

MOVPE:

metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy

SEM:

scanning electron microscope

TEM:

transmission electron microscope

VPE:

vapor phase epitaxy

pHEMT:

pseudomorphic HEMT

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Sharp Laboratories of Europe, Edmund Halley Road, Oxford Science Park, OX4 4GB, Oxford, UK

    Tim Smeeton Ph.D.

  2. Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy, University of Cambridge, Pembroke Street, CB2 3!Z, Cambridge, UK

    Colin Humphreys Prof.

Authors
  1. Tim Smeeton Ph.D.
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  2. Colin Humphreys Prof.
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Tim Smeeton Ph.D. or Colin Humphreys Prof. .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Saskatchewan, 57 Campus Drive, S7N 5A9, Saskatoon, SK, Canada

    Safa Kasap Prof.

  2. Materials Team Leader, SELEX Sensors and Airborne Systems Infrared Ltd., Millbrook Industrial Estate, PO Box 217, SO15 0EG, Southampton, Hampshire, UK

    Peter Capper Dr.

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© 2006 Springer-Verlag

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Smeeton, T., Humphreys, C. (2006). Perspectives on Electronic and Optoelectronic Materials. In: Kasap, S., Capper, P. (eds) Springer Handbook of Electronic and Photonic Materials. Springer Handbooks. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-29185-7_1

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