Semiconductors and the information revolution [electronic resource] : magic crystals that made IT happen / John W. Orton.

What exactly is a semiconductor: and what can it do?
The first hundred years: from Faraday to yesterday
Birth of the transistor: point contacts and P-N junctions
Micro and macro: the integrated circuit and power electronics
Laser beams and microwaves: gallium arsenide and indium phosphide
Quantum theory and quantum practice: the nanostructure revolution
Light-emitting diodes: white light for green consumers
Information highways and the fibre revolution
Seeing in the dark: image tubes and thermal viewers
Large area electronics: flat screen TV and solar electricity.