Ch.

2 : Basic physics of Semiconductors / Behzad RAZAVI

Why do we use semiconductors
As many here have mentioned, electronics use both semiconductors
and conductors in different components of their circuitry -- but when
looking at, say, a processor, you are probably asking why we use
semiconductors as opposed to conductors when making transistors.
The point is control. Transistors need to be able to give us two
differentiable outputs in order to perform logic functions; that is, they
need to be able to give us some form of "1" (on) and some form
of "0" (off). Semiconductors allow this to happen in a very neat way;
the application of a small “gate voltage” can change the semiconductor
material from insulating to conducting. Take this MOSFET:

The “gate” can either apply a voltage (turn the transistor on) or not;
when the requisite voltage is applied, it creates a small “channel”
between the source and drain of the transistor, allowing current to
flow. When the gate voltage is below the requisite level, the channel
closes, and the semiconductor acts as an insulator between the source
and drain; no current can flow. In this way you can have a single
transistor output a “1” or “0” state, depending on whether the gate
voltage is applied or not. A regular conductor won’t give you this kind
of control, and especially not using the very small voltages that the gate
requires to operate. This is why doped semiconductors are so useful in
electronics engineering and why they are used preferentially to
conductors in certain applications: they give you the freedom to switch
between insulating and conductive properties using just one material.