Modern developments in semiconductor devices

The semiconductor device field is reviewed with the aim of illustrating the main trends. The most striking are the emergence of silicon as the dominant material and the pressure to refine its technology to an unprecedented extent, mainly as a result of its use in integrated circuits. This is supported by research into improved fabrication techniques and efforts to obtain a clearer understanding of device behaviour. In addition there is active interest in novel devices, many of which require more unusual semiconductor materials, and the over-all trend is a rapidly increasing penetration of semiconductor devices into the electronics industry.