Introduction / Context:
Material choice in semiconductor manufacturing balances cost, availability, native oxide quality, and device performance. Silicon dominates mainstream electronics and IC fabrication.
Given Data / Assumptions:
- Focus: ubiquity and practicality for large-scale manufacturing.
- Comparison set: Si, Ge, SiGe alloys, others.
Concept / Approach:
Silicon offers an excellent native oxide (SiO2) for MOS processes, plentiful raw material, mature processing infrastructure, and good thermal properties. Germanium and compound semiconductors have niches but lack silicon’s overall ecosystem dominance.
Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Evaluate device fabrication needs (oxide quality, yield, scalability).Step 2: Silicon’s native oxide enables stable MOSFET gates and isolation.Step 3: Global supply chains and cost favor silicon for most applications.Step 4: Therefore the correct choice is silicon.
Verification / Alternative check:
Industry statistics and foundry capacities overwhelmingly use Si; specialized domains (RF, optoelectronics) may use GaAs, InP, or SiGe, but mainstream is Si.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Germanium: Higher mobility but inferior oxide and thermal robustness.SiGe: Important for heterojunction devices but not the primary substrate in mass production.None: Contradicts industry practice.GaAs: Great for high-frequency/optoelectronics but not most general ICs.
Common Pitfalls:
Assuming material superiority in one metric determines dominance; manufacturing ecosystem matters greatly.
Final Answer:
silicon
Discussion & Comments