1. Any material that has a limited capacity for conducting an electric current.

Certain semiconductors, including silicon, gallium arsenide, copper indium diselenide, and cadmium telluride, are uniquely suited to the photovoltaic conversion process.

2. A solid-state crystalline material having values of electrical resistivity intermediate between metals and insulators.

The conductivity of semiconductors can be controlled by adding very small amounts of foreign elements called dopants (chemical impurities added in small quantities to an otherwise pure semiconductor material to modify the electrical properties of the material).

Conductivity is facilitated not only by negatively charged electrons, but also by positively charged holes, and it is sensitive to temperature, illumination, and magnetic field.

A non-crystalline semiconductor material that has no long-range order.

The product of doping a pure semiconductor.

An undoped semiconductor.

Semiconductor material that is left intrinsic, or undoped so that the concentration of charge carriers is characteristic of the material itself rather than of added impurities.

A semiconductor produced by doping an intrinsic semiconductor with an electron-donor impurity (for example, phosphorus in silicon).

1. A semiconductor to which an impurity has been added so the concentration of electrons is much higher than the concentration of holes; the electrical current is carried chiefly by these electrons.
2. Negative semiconductor material in which there are more electrons than holes; current is carried through it by the flow of electrons.

A semiconductor in which holes carry the current; produced by doping an intrinsic semiconductor with an electron acceptor impurity; such as, boron in silicon.