Question: |
Why is silicon used in making computer chips? Is it because of special chemical properties? Could other crystals be used equally well? |
Category: |
Science > Chemistry |
Keywords: |
chemical property, other crystals, use, silicon, make, computer chips |
Type: |
why |
Rating: (0 ratings) Views: 71 Discussions: 0 In Watch Lists: 1 |
|
|
Answer:
|
One thing that makes silicon desirable for manufacturing purposes is that
- It is abundant (it is the second most abundant substance in the earth's crust) and therefore cheap.
- Another, more directly relevant reason, is that silicon is an "impurity semiconductor." What this means is that if you deliberately make a sample of silicon with certain impurities lodged in the crystal, you can control the conductivity of the sample by varying the concentration of impurities.
- What is more, you can do it over a range of conductivity values that correspond to small voltages. And best of all, you can either increase or decrease the conductivity, depending on what kind of impurity you introduce.
Germanium (Ge) also has these properties, but is more expensive. These properties make form the basis for a wide variety of semiconductor devices. Also, silicon wafers can be etched by chemical process to change the conductivity along well-defined channels in the wafer. This combination of properties makes silicon a uniquely good choice for making computer chips .
As an expansion, the use of Gallium Arsenide is becoming more popular as a base material for doping than silicon, or in conjunction with it. Gas chips are much faster because of two reasons.
- Wafers can be sub-micron, and therefore quicker because of the less amount of circuitry involved, and
- GAs substrate has a faster charge transfer rate than does Silicon.
There are several good trade publications that delve into this subject at great length. One is called "Surface Mount Technology" and another is a weekly tabloid called "Electronics Products News". Both are very good sources for those who are interested in keeping up with the latest new tech stuff in chip making.
Source: Argonne National Laboratory
|
Read more questions from WISTEME through
|
|
Add to Groups Add to Watch Lists Share Question
|
|
Why is silicon used in making computer chips? Is it because of special chemical properties? Could other crystals be used equally well?
|
|
|
|
More Readings :
|
[QID:15898] |
How much oil is used to make plastic?
|
[QID:12797] |
What do you know about iodine use in methamphetamine production?
|
[QID:16863] |
Could I use plasma to make the blade?
|
[QID:15148] |
What products can be created with Chinese tallow?
|
[QID:14046] |
How can I use recycle materials to make a hummingbird feeder?
|
[QID:15794] |
Are there any potential pitfalls or risks in using a strategic-management approach to decision making?
|
[QID:5507] |
What is the total amount of water used to manufacture a new car, including new tires?
|
[QID:5551] |
How much water does it take to make one pound of plastic?
|
[QID:5506] |
How much water does it take to make four new tires?
|
[QID:15782] |
what is the single major benefit of using a strategic-management approach to decision making?
|
|
|
Question ID: ${question.id} Current Version: ${question.version} |
{for qh in questionHistory} {if qh.status == 'r'} {else} {/if} {/for}
ID |
Topics |
Replies |
Latest Post (ET) |
{if dlist!=null} {for d in dlist} {/for}
${parseInt(d_index)+1} |
${d.sentence} |
${d.replyNum} |
${d.lastestDate} |
|
{for k in d.discussionPost} {var x=0;} {eval} while(k.id>0){ {x=x+30;} k.id--; } {/eval} {/for}
|
${k.content}
by ${k.createdByNickname} ${k.createdDate} [reply]
|
|
|
|
{else}
{/if}
|