silicon

Definition of silicon in English English dictionary: A nonmetallic element (symbol Si) with an atomic number of 14 and atomic weight of 28.0855; The dominant semiconducting material used in integrated circuits at this time (2001); An element which is the primary component of computer chips Related terms: Chip; Silicon, atomic number 14 on the periodic table, is a semiconducting material from which integrated circuits (computer chips of all types--processors, memory chips, etc ; CCDs; transistors; etc ) are created Silicon is not found in its pure raw form in nature, but mostly in combination with other elements, as in sand and quartz A type of sand called quartzite is purified to create silicon for use by the semiconductor industry; A tetravalent, nonmetallic element used to fabricate CCDs; (SI) - A nonmetallic chemical element, number 14, which is a major component of many types of rocks and minerals on Earth; used to make glass, concrete, and semiconductors solar core - The central region of the sun's structure that consists of protons, neutrons, nuclei, and free electrons and is the site of proton-proton fusion reactions solar nebula - A diffuse mass of interstellar dust and/or gas that is thought to be the remnants of the material out of which the sun formed; A nonmetalic element analogous to carbon; Its oxide is silica, or common quartz, and in this form, or as silicates, it is, next to oxygen, the most abundant element of the earth's crust; a tetravalent nonmetallic element; next to oxygen it is the most abundant element in the earth's crust; occurs in clay and feldspar and granite and quartz and sand; used as a semiconductor in transistors; Second only to oxygen in abundance in Earth's crust, it never occurs free but is found in almost all rocks and in sand, clay, and soils, combined with oxygen as silica (silicon dioxide, SiO2) or with oxygen and metals as silicate minerals. It occurs in many plants and some animals. Pure silicon is a hard, dark gray solid with a metallic lustre and the same crystal structure as diamond. It is an extremely important semiconductor; doped (see dopant) with boron, phosphorus, or arsenic, it is used in various electronic circuit and switching devices, including computer chips, transistors, and diodes. Silicon is also used in metallurgy as a reducing (see reduction) agent and in steel, brass, and bronze. Its usual valence in compounds is; A solid element (number 14 on the periodic table) that is abundantly available in the form of SiO2 Its extreme abundance, moderate processing temperatures, and the stability of its native oxide make it the preferred semiconductor material; Do not confuse silicon with silicone; Atomic weight 28; A non-essential mineral Tissues such as arteries, tendons, skin, connective tissue, cornea and sclera (white of the eye) contain relatively large amounts of silicon Collagen, the protein glue that holds us together, contains silicon in silanolate form While vitamin C functions only as a catalyst in the formation of collagen, silicon is actually a structural part of collagen Silicon containing substances are found in all cartilage and in the material binding cells together Silicon may be needed for proper bone structure and growth; A tetravalent nonmetallic element (atomic number 14, atomic weight 32, chemical symbol Si) that occurs as the most abundant element next to oxygen in the earth’s crust; A brownish crystalline semimetal used to make the majority of semiconductor wafers; Called also silicium; Chemical symbol Si A non-metallic element, essential in the smelting of numerous ferrous and non-ferrous metals SILICON-BRONZE-An alloy of copper and 1 5-3% silicon with various third elements (zinc, tin, or manganese); A brittle, grey, crystalline chemical element which, in its pure state, serves as a semiconductor substrate in microelectronics It is naturally found in compounds such as silicon dioxide; Silica is used in the form of sand and clay for many purposes; as quartz, it may be heated to form special glasses. Silicates are used in making glass, enamels, and ceramics; sodium silicates (water glass) are used in soaps, wood treatment, cements, and dyeing. See also silane; silicone; An element used in making the ceramic wafers out of which computer chips are punched; A pure crystalline element (Si) which is the most commonly used semiconductor material for the fabrication of integrated circuits; (Si) The second most abundant element in the earth's crust; intermediate-grade silicon (less costly than electronic-grade) is used in the manufacture of silicon solar cells F - la silicone S - silicio; An element which is the primary component of computer chips; It always occurs combined in nature, and is artificially obtained in the free state, usually as a dark brown amorphous powder, or as a dark crystalline substance with a meetallic luster; An element found in rocks and sand, which is used as the base, or substrate, for computer chips; Silicon is one of the most common elements on Earth in the Earth's crust, it's second in mass only to oxygen and can be found in any quartz crystal Beach sand is largely silicon Silicon is also the semiconductor material out of which almost all modern transistors are made; material used as the base for most integrated circuits; Silicon is an element that is found in sand and in minerals such as quartz and granite. Silicon is used to make parts of computers and other electronic equipment. A chip is a piece of silicon about the size of a postage stamp. a chemical substance that exists as a solid or as a powder and is used to make glass, bricks, and parts for computers. It is a chemical element : symbol Si (silica). Nonmetallic to semimetallic chemical element, chemical symbol Si, atomic number; - A mineral that is involved in the proper formation of collagen Horsetail herb provides an excellent natural source of this mineral; An element on the periodic table with the symbol Si Silicon is a semiconductor used to fabricate most transistors and integrated circuits Pure silicon is used to make almost all the semiconductor chips currently sold on the market Silicon is not the only semiconductor which can be used to make integrated circuits, but it does have many properties that make it quite a bit better for this purpose than the other known semiconductors When silicon is combined with oxygen it becomes silicon dioxide back to top; The most commonly used element in semiconductors due to its abundance (the same element that is found in sand) and ease of processing Chips are made by growing silicon into a giant crystal, which is sliced into thin, round wafers, polished and coated with chemicals, producing layers of patterns etched into the wafer The wafer is then cut into small squares and packaged in plastic, connecting the parts of the chip with tiny gold wires, which is ultimately placed onto a final product, such as a remote control or an anti-lock braking systems in automobiles; {i} nonmetallic element which makes up more than one fourth of the earth's crust and is used in the manufacture of metal alloys and electronic components (Chemistry); the substance most commonly used to make semiconductor material Sand and glass are also made of silicon; Silicon is characteristically the element of the mineral kingdom, as carbon is of the organic world; Symbol Si; silicium; silicum
Silicon Alley: a group of Internet-related companies in Manhattan, New York
Silicon Fen: the area of high-tech businesses around Cambridge, England
Silicon Forest: The area of high-tech businesses around Portland, Oregon
Silicon Glen: the area of high-tech businesses in central Scotland
Silicon Hills: the area of high-tech businesses around Austin, Texas
Silicon Prairie: the area of high-tech businesses around Schaumburg, Illinois, Dallas, Texas, or Ames, Iowa
Silicon Sentier: the area of high-tech businesses in France
Silicon Valley: A nickname originally for the region of San Francisco in which there are a high number of industries producing silicon chips and later extended to mean the entire concentration of high-tech businesses in this area
Silicon Wadi: the area of high-tech businesses in Israel
silicon alkoxide: any compound of general formula Si(OR)4, the tetraalkyl orthosilicates; they react with water to for aerogels of silica
silicon burning: the nucleosynthesis process, in stars where temperatures exceed 3x109K, in which silicon undergoes photodisintegration to form fragments which in turn produce elements up to those of atomic number 60, peaking at iron
silicon carbide: a binary compound of silicon and carbon, SiC; it is one of the hardest known materials, and is used as an abrasive, under the trade name Carborundum, and as a refractory material
silicon chip: A wafer of silicon on which an integrated circuit has been built; a microchip
silicon chips: plural form of silicon chip
silicon dioxide: A hard glassy mineral, SiO₂, occurring as quartz, sand, opal etc. Informally known as silica
silicon ester: any compound of silicon containing multiple alkoxide groups
silicon germanide: the binary compound, SiGe of silicon and germanium; sometimes considered to be a simple alloy silicon germanium
silicon germanium: an alloy of silicon and germanium used as a semiconductor
silicon hydride: any hydride of silicon; a silane
silicon iron: ferrosilicon
silicon monoxide: A chemical compound with the formula SiO. In the atmosphere it oxidizes quickly into SiO₂, but has been detected in stellar objects and has been described as the most common oxide of silicon in the universe
silicon nitride: an inorganic polymer, of empirical formula Si3N4, used in ceramics and some transistors
silicon oxide: silicon dioxide, silica
silicon photonics: the technology discipline related to production of optical switching electronic devices using integrated circuit manufacturing technology
silicon planet: a silicate planet
silicon rubber: Alternative spelling of silicone rubber
silicon steel: An alloy of iron and silicon that has important magnetic properties
silicon tetrachloride: the binary compound of silicon and chlorine SiCl4
silicon tetrafluoride: the binary compound of silicon and fluorine SiF4, a colourless, poisonous gas with a pungent odour, used in the production of silicon semiconductors
silicon wafer: A thin slice of silicon used to fabricate semiconductor devices such as integrated circuits
silicon wafers: plural form of silicon wafer
silicon-28: The major stable isotope of silicon, 2814Si, having fourteen protons and fourteen neutrons; it amounts to over 92% of the element in nature
silicon-29: A minor stable isotope of silicon, 2914Si, having fourteen protons and fifteen neutrons; it amounts to almost 5% of the element in nature
silicon-30: A minor stable isotope of silicon, 3014Si, having fourteen protons and sixteen neutrons; it amounts to 3% of the element in nature
silicon-based: based on silicon; especially used of a proposed alternative biochemistry or lifeforms
Silicon Glen: a humorous name for an area of central Scotland where there are many companies producing computer products. Its name is based on Silicon Valley, because "glen" is a Scottish word for a valley
Silicon Valley: a part of California in the area between San Francisco and San José, which is a centre of the computer industry. Many important inventions were made in this area, and many large and small companies producing computer software and hardware are based there. It is called Silicon Valley because the computer industry is based on the silicon chip. Industrial strip, west-central California. Located between San Jose and Palo Alto in the San Jose and Santa Clara valleys, its (unofficial) name derives from the extensive use of silicon in the region's electronics industries. The U.S. government invested heavily in the region's industry following World War II, a second economic surge occurred with the proliferation of personal computers in the 1980s, and a third surge followed the growth of the Internet in the 1990s
Silicon Valley: area south of San Francisco in California where many high-tech companies are situated
silicon alley: center for high-tech companies located in Manhattan (New York City)
silicon bronze: a bronze with 2-3% silicon that is resistant to corrosion
silicon carbide: an extremely hard blue-black crystalline compound (SiC) used as an abrasive and a heat refractory material; crystals of silicon carbide can be used as semiconductors
silicon carbide: Mineral used for abrasive metal removal
silicon carbide: A very hard synthetic abrasive grit used in both wet or dry sheets, etc
silicon carbide: A bluish-black crystalline compound, SiC, one of the hardest known substances, used as an abrasive and heat-refractory material and in single crystals as semiconductors, especially in high-temperature applications
silicon chip: A silicon chip is a very small piece of silicon inside a computer. It has electronic circuits on it and can hold large quantities of information or perform mathematical or logical operations. = microchip. a computer chip
silicon dioxide: Silica
silicon valley: a region in California south of San Francisco that is noted for its concentration of high-technology industries
Cwm Silicon: a technology-rich area of South Wales
eka-silicon: germanium
lithium-drifted silicon detector: a radiation detector used in astrophysics, nuclear physics, imaging and X-ray spectroscopy
strained silicon: A layer of silicon atoms deposited onto a substrate of silicon germanium constrained to be wider apart than normal; this decreases resistance and increases performance when made into a chip