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.

Silicon is not silicone

Casual speakers often make the mistake of interchanging the words silicon and silicone; they are not the same. The first, of course, is the element that is the topic of this article. The second is a class of chemical compounds (in particular, inorganic polymers) that contain the element silicon, the most notable members of the class being silicone rubbers and silicone gels.

Related Topics:
Silicone - Chemical compounds - Inorganic polymer

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