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Solid state (electronics)

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	Topics Solid state (electronics) Topic Home Solid-state electronicElectronic Electronic may refer to:Electronics, devices or parts of devices using electrical signals... components, devices, and systems are based entirely on the semiconductorSemiconductor A semiconductor* is a material with electrical conductivity that is intermediate between that of an insulator and a conducto... , such as transistorTransistor Overview The transistor is a three terminal solid state semiconductor device that can be used for amplification, switching, voltage s... s, chipMicroprocessor A microprocessor is a digital electronic component with transistors on a single semiconductor integrated circuit .... s and bubble memoryBubble memory Bubble memory is a type of non-volatile computer memory that uses a thin film of a magnetic material to hold small magnetize... . In solid-state components, there is no mechanicalMechanical energy In physics, mechanical energy describes the potential energy and kinetic energy present in the components of a mechanical ... action, or no moving parts, although a considerable amount of electromagnetic action takes place within. The expression was especially prevalent in the late 1950s and early 1960s, during the transition from vacuum tubeVacuum tube Overview In electronics, a vacuum tube or valve is a device generally used to amplify, or otherwise modify, a signal by cont... technology to the semiconductor diodeDiode In electronics, a diode is a component that restricts the direction of movement of charge carriers.... and transistor. More recently, the integrated circuitIntegrated circuit A monolithic integrated circuit is a miniaturized electronic circuit which has been manufactured in the surface of a thin ... (IC), the light-emitting diodeLight-emitting diode Summary A light-emitting diode is a semiconductor device that emits incoherent narrow-spectrum light when electrically biased in th... (LED), and the liquid-crystal display (LCD) have evolved as further examples of solid-state devices. In a solid-state component, the currentElectric current Electric current is by definition the flow of electric charge.... is confined to solid elements and compounds engineered specifically to switch and amplify it. Current flows in two forms: as negatively charged electronElectron The electron is a fundamental subatomic particle that carries an electric charge.... s, and as positively charged electron deficiencies called holesElectron hole Overview In solid state physics, an electron hole is the absence of an electron from the otherwise full valence band.... . In some semiconductors, the current consists mostly of electrons; in other semiconductors, it consists mostly of holes. Both the electron and the hole are called charge carriers. An example of a non-solid-state component is a cathode-ray tube (CRT). In this device, electrons flow freely through a vacuum from an electron gun, through deflecting and focusing fields, and finally to a phosphorescent screen. For data storage, solid-state devices are much faster and more reliable than mechanical disks and tapes, but are more expensive. Although solid state costs continually drop, disks, tapes and optical disks also continue to improve their cost/performance ratio. The first solid-state device was the "cat's whisker" detector, first used in 1930s radio receivers. A whisker-like wire was moved around on a solid crystal in order to detect a radioRadio Radio is the wireless transmission of signals, by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of light.... signal. See also Semiconductor deviceSemiconductor device Semiconductor devices are electronic components that exploit the electronic properties of semiconductor materials, principal...