What is a Semiconductor?
When we think of semiconductors, we generally consider microprocessors that power electronic devices. If you want to be technical, semiconductors compromise a class of substances that lie somewhere in between an insulator and a conductor.
A conductor can transmit electric current; an insulator cannot transmit electricity. A semiconductor conducts electricity only under some conditions but not others.
Semiconductors are able to control the flow of current through an electronic device by using atomic bonds and integrated circuits, diodes, and transistors to organize electronic data. Data is essentially made up of long strings of zeros and ones that are then translated into letters and coded to produce images, videos, and computer programs.
Semiconductors are typically produced from purified silicon in sand that is melted at high temperatures to remove impurities. This essentially produces a type of translucent glass. Oftentimes, particular impurities called dopants are then added to transform the way the material conducts electricity.
What Roles Do Semiconductors Play in Business?
Semiconductors are the core components of all computer equipment and most electronics. You will find semiconductors in printers, laptops, copy machines, keyboards, mouses, and much more. Just about every piece of office equipment has a semiconductor in it nowadays.
Businesses rely heavily on semiconductors to store vast data pools and organize information. Computer technology is the keystone of most modern businesses. Programs allow businesses to create presentations, market their products to millions over the Internet, and conduct commercial transactions.
You may even find semiconductors in the regulatory components of a coffee pot or water cooler. Semiconductors provide a competitive edge in manipulating data, organizing data, storing data, and creating powerful media presentations.
What Else Do Semiconductors Do in Business?
Semiconductors are also used to produce medical equipment, satellites, telecommunication equipment, automobiles, and energy systems that are all related to conducting business. Semiconductors play a role in nearly every facet of our lives.
Just about anything that is powered by electricity also contains semiconductors to regulate the flow of electrons to activate various functions under customizable coding parameters.
The computer equipment helps businesses to fine-tune the logistics of delivering merchandise to vendors and tracking packages. The satellites and telecommunication equipment are necessary for businesses to reach the outside world through phone calls and the Internet.
Automobiles are essential to many businesses that rely on fleets of trucks or other company vehicles for deliveries and transporting tools, materials, and equipment to a job site.
If semiconductors did not exist, we’d all be using slide rulers to perform calculations and we would be drafting everything on paper. Our communications would be limited to analog telephone devices and telegraphs in Morse Code.
Companies would be limited in function because many operations would require sifting through vast aisles and aisles of filing cabinets to locate pertinent records and documents. Every aspect of this would lead to less accurate results.
Drafting documents and proofreading them would take hours and hours of manual labor. Any typographical error would require rewriting the entire page to create a final proof.