The Possible Use of Semiconductor Devices in Aircraft: Possible Airborne Applications for a Range of New Materials with Unusual Properties

SINCE the early years of the last decade a great deal of research has been done on the properties of the new class of materials called semiconductors because their electrical properties lie between those of conductors and insulators. Some of the results of these researches are described in this article, in particular those which are of interest to aircraft engineers. A simple explanation of the mechanism of these devices is given and some emphasis is laid on work done by staff and students of the Department of Aircraft Electrical Engineering at The College of Aeronautics.