Silicon is a tetravalent metalloid element (atomic number 14) that forms the basis of most modern semiconductor technology and is a central topic across materials science, electronics, and solid-state physics. In crystalline form, it adopts a diamond cubic lattice, enabling precise control of its electronic band structure through doping with donors (e.g., phosphorus) or acceptors (e.g., boron) to create n- and p-type regions. Silicon’s indirect band gap, thermal stability, native oxide (SiO₂) formation, and compatibility with planar processing underpin integrated circuits, photovoltaics, and microelectromechanical systems, making it a foundational subject in research on electronic materials and device engineering.
Silicon is a staple of the digital revolution, shunting loads of signals on a device that's likely just inches from your eyes at this very moment.
Nanomaterials
Oct 5, 2021
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166
Over the past few years, scientists have demonstrated how cage-like, porous structures made of silicon and oxygen and measuring only billionths of a meter in size can trap noble gasses like argon, krypton, and xenon. However, ...
Nanophysics
Sep 1, 2021
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Researchers have developed an innovative technique for creating nanomaterials. These are materials only atoms wide. They draw on nanoscience to allow scientists to control their construction and behavior. The new electron ...
Nanomaterials
Aug 12, 2021
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175
A novel method of characterizing the structural and chemical evolution of silicon and a thin layer that governs battery stability may help resolve issues that prevent using silicon for high-capacity batteries, according to ...
Nanophysics
Jul 29, 2021
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269
We might imagine crystals to be perfect structures, but they are, in fact, often plagued with "defects." Curiously enough, such defects often appear due to atoms undergoing reorganization to lower the energy of the system ...
Nanomaterials
Jul 28, 2021
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166
Skoltech researchers and their colleagues from RAS Institute for Physics of Microstructures, Lobachevsky State University of Nizhny Novgorod, ITMO University, Lomonosov Moscow State University, and A.M. Prokhorov General ...
Nanophysics
Jun 9, 2021
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