Semiconductor devices are electronic components that exploit the electronic properties of semiconductor materials, principally silicon, germanium and gallium arsenide. Semiconductor devices have replaced thermionic devices in most applications. They utilize electronic conduction in the solid state, as opposed to the vacuum state or gaseous state. Semiconductor devices are available as discrete units (such as those sold in electronics stores) or can be integrated along with a large number — often millions — of similar devices onto a single chip, called an integrated circuit (IC).
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