Doping
Semiconductors can
change their electrical properties, degree of conduction, by
the addition of impurities. This is the reason why silicon
needs to be in such a pure form (99.9999% pure). The
procedure in which you add impurities to a semiconductor is
called doping. The impurities that are used are called
dopants. There are two different types of dopants. They are
called n-type and p-type dopants.
To cite this page MLA style: "The Transistor". Nobelprize.org. Nobel Media AB 2013. Web. 20 Jun 2013. <http://www.nobelprize.org/educational/physics/transistor/function/doping.html>