Summary and Materials
In summary, the on-off capabilities of transistors in semiconductors provide a way to use the binary number system to represent information in your computer. Today's computer is capable of handling incredible amounts of information in an extremely short period of time, from one side of the globe to another.
By using more transistors in computer memory devices, incrementally better and more powerful computer memory is possible. By using new materials we are able to store more information in smaller amounts of space and are able to process this information in smaller amounts of time. Where we once used copper wire coils, we are now able to use semiconductors, which are able to move more data quickly. The goal of the materials engineer is to find a good conducting material so that the information can be passed through the material quickly. Most of the semiconductors are made from pure silicon wafers which are processed in such a way that they are a single crystal. Because of its purity its single crystal nature, information in the form of electrons is able to move rapidly.