ABSTRACT
This chapter describes what a semiconductor material is, the atomic structure of a semiconductor material, and the difference between an electric and an electronic device. It explains N-type and P-type materials, what the term hole implies in the context of electronics fundamentals and the terms doping, dopant, and doped material. The chapter details common functions performed by electronic circuits, the term solid-state, and the difference between analog and digital electronics. It shows how in electronic circuits AC and DC can be combined together. It is very common to have a hybrid device, parts of which are digital and parts are analog. Digital information can be represented by numbers like computer data. These numbers can be easily processed and stored. The action of mixing up pure germanium or silicon with a little of another substance is called doping, which implies adding some impurity to a pure semiconductor material.
