Flashcards: Semiconductor devices

An LED lamp is a light-emitting diode (LED) product which is assembled into a lamp (or light bulb) for use in lighting fixtures.

(See also: p–n diode and Diode § Semiconductor diodes) A p–n junction is a boundary or interface between two types of semiconductor material, p-type and n-type, inside a single crystal of semiconductor.

Solar panel refers to a panel designed to absorb the sun's rays as a source of energy for generating electricity or heating.

A thyristor is a solid-state semiconductor device with four layers of alternating N and P-type material.

A light-emitting diode (LED) is a two-lead semiconductor light source.

A solar cell, or photovoltaic cell (in very early days also termed "solar battery" – a denotation which nowadays has a totally different meaning, see here), is an electrical device that converts the energy of light directly into electricity by the photovoltaic effect, which is a physical and chemical phenomenon.

A transistor is a semiconductor device used to amplify or switch electronic signals and electrical power.

A thermistor is a type of resistor whose resistance is dependent on temperature, more so than in standard resistors.

A varistor is an electronic component with an electrical resistance that varies with the applied voltage.

Transistor–transistor logic (TTL) is a class of digital circuits built from bipolar junction transistors (BJTs) and resistors.

An insulated-gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) is a three-terminal power semiconductor device primarily used as an electronic switch which, as it was developed, came to combine high efficiency and fast switching.

The metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET, MOS-FET, or MOS FET) is a type of transistor used for amplifying or switching electronic signals.

In electronics, an opto-isolator, also called an optocoupler, photocoupler, or optical isolator, is a component that transfers electrical signals between two isolated circuits by using light.

A photoresistor (or light-dependent resistor, LDR, or photocell) is a light-controlled variable resistor.

A PIN diode is a diode with a wide, undoped intrinsic semiconductor region between a p-type semiconductor and an n-type semiconductor region.

TRIAC, from triode for alternating current, is a generic trademark for a three terminal electronic component that conducts current in either direction when triggered.

(See also: p–n junction and Diode § Semiconductor diodes) This article provides a more detailed explanation of p–n diode behavior than that found in the articles p–n junction or diode.