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Solid-state" is the term used to describe electronic devices that control current with solid, semiconductor components. Semiconductors are materials that have an electrical conductivity somewhere between that of an insulator and a conductor. Solid-state devices contain no vacuum tubes, heated filaments or moving parts.
Conductivity
The difference in electrical conductivity between semiconductors, conductors and insulators depends on the ease with which negatively charged particles, called electrons, can move through the material. The movement of electrons is determined by the chemical bonding between the atoms in the material.
Properties
Semiconductor materials, such as silicon and germanium, exhibit properties that are dependent on temperature or voltage. This allows the creation of such solid-state devices as the temperature-dependent resistors (thermistors) and voltage-dependent resistors (varistors).
Benefits
Solid-state devices have almost completely replaced vacuum tubes in low-powered electronic applications. This has produced significant reductions in the volume and power consumption of components.
Tags: electrical conductivity, Solid-state devices, vacuum tubes