Solid state electronics

The detailed study of matter in the solid state has become one of the most active fields of modern physics. Solid state electronics, including the study of semiconductors, was greatly stimulated by the wartime development of crystal diodes, which were extensively used in radar and are now finding numerous applications in electronic components. The recent discovery of the transistor, a crystal triode which may be used as a replacement for vacuum tubes in amplifiers, has intensified interest in the subject. Although the semiconductor has been used in several practical applications, physical interpretation of the semiconducting phenomena is far from complete. For this reason, the major current objective of the solid state physics program at the National Bureau of Standards concerns the fundamental study of semiconducting systems. Some closely related problems of crystal properties are also being investigated in order to obtain the knowledge necessary for the maximum utilization of these and other new materials in electronic components.