= Semiconductor device
{tag=Electrical circuit}
A <semiconductor device> uses controlled populations and motion of <charge carriers> in a <semiconductor> to rectify, switch, amplify, detect or emit signals. Its behavior depends on <semiconductor doping>, contacts, geometry and any <heterojunctions>, rather than only on the bulk material.
A <diode> illustrates the distinction: its two-terminal <current-voltage characteristic> comes from carrier transport through a junction and its contacts. A <field-effect transistor> instead uses a gate's <electric field> to control a conducting channel. Measuring a device therefore requires specified <biasing> and <temperature>; a quoted bulk <electrical conductivity> alone does not determine its terminal response.
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