Silicon

Silicon (Latin: silicium) is the chemical element in the periodic table that has the symbol Si and atomic number 14. A tetravalent metalloid, silicon is less reactive than its chemical analog carbon. It is the second most abundant element in the Earth's crust, making up 25.7% of it by weight. It occurs in clay, feldspar, granite, quartz and sand, mainly in the form of silicon dioxide (also known as silica) and silicates (compounds containing silicon, oxygen and metals). Silicon is the principal component of glass, cement, ceramics, most semiconductor devices, and silicones, the latter a plastic substance often confused with silicon. Silicon is widely used in semiconductors because the semiconductor Germanium has a problem with reverse leakage current flow, and because its native oxide forms better semiconductor/dielectric interfaces than almost all other material combinations.

History

Silicon (Latin silex, silicis meaning flint) was first identified by Antoine Lavoisier in 1787, and was later mistaken by Humphry Davy ,in 1800, for a compound. In 1811 Gay Lussac and Thénard probably prepared impure amorphous silicon through the heating of potassium with silicon tetrafluoride. In 1824 Berzelius prepared amorphous silicon using approximately the same method of Lussac. Berzelius also purified the product by repeatedly washing it.

Related Topics:
Latin - Flint - Antoine Lavoisier - 1787 - Humphry Davy - 1800 - 1811 - Gay Lussac - Thénard - Potassium - 1824 - Berzelius

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Because silicon is an important element in semiconductor and high-tech devices, the high-tech region of Silicon Valley, California, is named after this element.

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Silicon Valley - California

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