Related topics: solar cells , transistors , nanowires
Silicon
hideSilicon (pronounced /ˈsɪlɨkən/ or /ˈsɪlɨkɒn/, Latin: silicium) is the most common metalloid. It is a chemical element, which has the symbol Si and atomic number 14. The atomic mass is 28.0855. A tetravalent metalloid, silicon is less reactive than its chemical analog carbon. As the eighth most common element in the universe by mass, silicon very rarely occurs as the pure free element in nature, but is more widely distributed in dusts, planetoids and planets as various forms of silicon dioxide (silica) or silicates. On Earth, silicon is the second most abundant element (after oxygen) in the crust, making up 25.7% of the crust by mass.
Silicon has many industrial uses. It is the principal component of most semiconductor devices, most importantly integrated circuits or microchips. Silicon is widely used in semiconductors because it remains a semiconductor at higher temperatures than the semiconductor germanium and because its native oxide is easily grown in a furnace and forms a better semiconductor/dielectric interface than any other material.
In the form of silica and silicates, silicon forms useful glasses, cements, and ceramics. It is also a constituent of silicones, a class-name for various synthetic plastic substances made of silicon, oxygen, carbon and hydrogen, often confused with silicon itself.
Silicon is an essential element in biology, although only tiny traces of it appear to be required by animals. It is much more important to the metabolism of plants, particularly many grasses, and silicic acid (a type of silica) forms the basis of the striking array of protective shells of the microscopic diatoms.
For more information about Silicon, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
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News tagged with silicon
Glitter-sized solar photovoltaics produce competitive results
13 hours ago |
4.5 / 5 (25) |
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Sandia National Laboratories scientists have developed tiny glitter-sized photovoltaic cells that could revolutionize the way solar energy is collected and used.
Organic flash memory developed
Dec 17, 2009 |
4.7 / 5 (20) |
3
(PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers at the University of Tokyo have developed a non-volatile memory that has the same basic structure as a flash memory but is made from cheap, flexible, organic materials.
Scientists improve chip memory by stacking cells
Dec 21, 2009 |
4.6 / 5 (15) |
3
(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists at Arizona State University have developed an elegant method for significantly improving the memory capacity of electronic chips.
Google phone revolution or misdirection?
Dec 19, 2009 |
3.8 / 5 (4) |
1
Google smartphones are either a daring foray into the telecom world or a misunderstood test of the next-generation of the Internet giant's Android mobile operating system.
Silicon technology offers extended X-ray vision of high-energy cosmos
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Dec 21, 2009 |
5 / 5 (3) |
1
(PhysOrg.com) -- As elements of the integrated circuits running our computers, phones and electronics, silicon wafers are everywhere. An ESA-led effort is establishing an out-of-this-world use for these ...
Researchers develop revolutionary technology for manufacturing micro-scale devices
11 hours ago |
5 / 5 (2) |
0
(PhysOrg.com) -- Cranfield University has developed new technology that could significantly reduce the manufacturing costs of complex devices such as electronic noses that sniff out explosives and dangerous chemicals and ...
Growing Europe's nanowires
Dec 16, 2009 |
4.5 / 5 (2) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- European researchers have developed state-of-the-art nanowire 'growing' technology, opening the way for faster, smaller microchips and creating a promising new avenue of research and industrial ...
Adjusting acidity with impunity
Chemistry / Analytical Chemistry
9 hours ago |
5 / 5 (1) |
0
(PhysOrg.com) -- How do individual cells or proteins react to changing pH levels? Researchers at the MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology at the University of Twente, The Netherlands, have developed a technique ...
Cost-cutting Yahoo to close offices for holidays
21 hours ago |
not rated yet |
0
(AP) -- Yahoo says it will close its offices from Christmas through New Year's to help save money. The cost-cutting move ends a year in which Yahoo's revenue declined for the first time since 2001.
