Silicon Periodic Table 

Silicon (Si) is element 14 on the periodic table and a key metalloid used to manufacture semiconductor wafers for microelectronics, sensors, MEMS, and photovoltaic devices. Understanding silicon’s periodic table position, basic properties, and common fabrication-related elements (dopants and metals) helps researchers choose materials and processes more confidently. Below you’ll find silicon’s periodic-table facts, plus examples of how the periodic table connects to real semiconductor manufacturing.

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Why Silicon Is Used as an Educational Reference Material

Silicon wafers are often used as demonstration and teaching tools because they physically connect abstract periodic-table concepts to real-world technology. A single silicon wafer can represent chemistry, physics, materials science, and electrical engineering at the same time.

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Related Silicon and Semiconductor Learning Resources

 

Silicon on the Periodic Table vs Other Semiconductor Materials

While silicon dominates semiconductor manufacturing, it is not the only material used for electronic devices. Elements and compounds such as gallium arsenide (GaAs), silicon carbide (SiC), and gallium nitride (GaN) are selected when higher power, higher frequency, or extreme environments are required.

Silicon remains the most widely used semiconductor because it balances performance, cost, availability, and manufacturability. Its central location in the periodic table reflects this balance between metallic conductivity and insulating behavior.

Silicon’s Position in Group 14 and Why It Matters

Silicon belongs to Group 14 of the periodic table, also known as the carbon group. Elements in this group share similar valence electron configurations, which explains why silicon forms stable covalent bonds and crystalline lattices. Unlike carbon, silicon behaves as a semiconductor rather than an insulator, allowing its electrical conductivity to be precisely controlled.

This ability to tune conductivity through doping is what makes silicon ideal for integrated circuits, sensors, and power devices. Group 14 neighbors such as germanium are also semiconductors, but silicon offers better thermal stability and oxide quality for large-scale manufacturing.

Silicon on the Periodic Table vs Other Semiconductor Materials

While silicon dominates semiconductor manufacturing, it is not the only material used for electronic devices. Elements and compounds such as gallium arsenide (GaAs), silicon carbide (SiC), and gallium nitride (GaN) are selected when higher power, higher frequency, or extreme environments are required.

Silicon remains the most widely used semiconductor because it balances performance, cost, availability, and manufacturability. Its central location in the periodic table reflects this balance between metallic conductivity and insulating behavior.

1. Silicon Wafer on the Periodic Table

Silicon is a chemical element with the following information:

Property Value
Symbol Si
Atomic Number 14
Group 14 (Carbon Group)
Period 3
Category Metalloid
Appearance Dark gray with a bluish tinge

Periodic table of elements overlaid on a colorful silicon wafer with Silicon (Si) highlighted"

Silicon is the second most abundant element in the Earth's crust and is widely used in semiconductor devices, especially as the base material for wafers used in microelectronics.

2. Periodic Table Etched on a Silicon Wafer

Some researchers and companies have etched or printed the periodic table onto a silicon wafer as a novelty or educational display. These are often:

  • Micro/nano-etched using photolithography

  • Used for microscopy training or public science outreach

  • Available as souvenirs or demo wafers

Would you like an image of a periodic table etched on a silicon wafer or a diagram showing where silicon fits in the periodic table with a wafer in the background?

3. Silicon Wafer with Elements Used in Semiconductor Fabrication

A periodic table highlighting elements used in semiconductor manufacturing, including:

  • Silicon (Si) – substrate material

  • Phosphorus (P), Boron (B), Arsenic (As) – dopants

  • Oxygen (O) – for silicon dioxide

  • Copper (Cu), Aluminum (Al) – interconnects

  • Gallium (Ga), Indium (In), Nitrogen (N) – compound semiconductors (GaN, InP, etc.)

This kind of "semiconductor periodic table" is useful for teaching or presentations.