Clearly written in a simple and lively manner, this book presents the most important phenomena of semiconductor physics and devices.

Contents:

• Introduction
• Part I: The History of Semiconductors:
• De Profundis (From the Depths)
• Per Aspera Ad Astra (Through Thorns to Stars)
• Part II: The Secret of the Golden Mean (The Main Properties of Semiconductors):
• The Princess and the Pea (Impurity Semiconductors)
• The Birth, Life and Death of the Electron and Hole
• Part III: Princes' Professions (The Simplest Semiconductor Devices):
• Thermistors
• Semiconductor Strain Gauges
• Photoconductors
• The Hall Effect
• Gunn Effect

"This is an excellent book on semiconductor physics geared primarily toward young people, high school students, freshmen and possibly, sophomores ... Part II of the book deals with more advanced topics of semiconductor physics The authors discuss extrinsic conductivity, majority and minority carriers, mobility, diffusion and other notions required for the introduction to semiconductor physics. Once again, they do it with simplicity and elegance, using almost no equations. Their style is friendly, with a touch of humor, somewhat reminiscent of the famous Feynman Lectures on Physics."

"What this book does is present in a very clear way how semiconductors differ from other solids such as metals (conductors) and insulators (nonconductors) and how they came to be recognized as a separate class of materials. In fact, probably the best thing about Getting to Know Semiconductors is the historical section, sweeping from ancient Greece to the 1947 invention of the transistor (and exposing Russian contributions to the science of semiconductors more than is customary in the "West") ... But all in all, Getting to Know Semiconductors is a good little book that can bring you a solid understanding of the advances in semiconductor physics up to the middle of the 20th century. With that understanding you can perhaps look at today's efforts and appreciate the variety of talents required to keep semiconductors moving forward."

"... it is a book for the science section of the library."