| 释义 |
silicon|ˈsɪlɪkən|
[f. L. silic- silex1. Named by T. Thomson, in place of Sir H. Davy's silicium.]
1. A non-metallic element, which in respect of its abundance in the ground ranks next to oxygen, and is usually found combined with this as silica; it may be obtained in the form of powder, scales, or crystals. Chemical symbol Si.
1817T. Thomson Syst. Chem. (ed. 5) I. 252 The base of silica has been usually considered as a metal, and called silicium. But..as it bears a close resemblance to boron and carbon, it is better to class it along with these bodies, and to give it the name of silicon. 1857Miller Elem. Chem., Org. iii. §3 (1862) 197 When absolute alcohol is gradually added to chloride of silicon, a powerful reaction occurs. 1876R. Routledge Disc. 32 The silicon, most of the carbon, and some of the iron itself are oxidized in this process.
attrib.1869Roscoe Chem. 342 Silicon ethyl..is obtained by the action of zinc ethyl on silicon tetrachloride. 1884Knight Dict. Mech. Suppl. 810/1 Silicon Steel, a steel in which silicon replaces a part of the usual carbon.
2. Special comb.: silicon carbide, a hard refractory compound of silicon and carbon SiC: see carborundum; silicon chip, a chip (chip n.1 2 f) of silicon; silicon ester, any ester of silicic acid, spec. tetraethyl orthosilicate, Si(OC2H5)4, a colourless flammable liquid which is readily hydrolysed to silica and is used in paints, weatherproof coatings for masonry, etc., and as a binding agent for moulds; silicon iron, steel, cast iron, or steel (respectively) containing a relatively high proportion of silicon, added to increase the magnetic permeability and/or the resistance to corrosion and heat; Silicon Valley orig. U.S. [from the use made of silicon chips], the Santa Clara valley, S.E. of San Francisco, where many leading U.S. microelectronic firms are located; silicon wafer, a wafer of silicon from which individual silicon chips can be separated (cf. wafer n.).
1893Chem. News LXVIII. 3a/2 (heading) The analysis of silicon carbide. 1982Jackson & Day Better than New 138/2 Silicon carbide abrasives are used extensively for furniture renovation.
1965Sci. Amer. Nov. 66/3 Engineers..saw the possibility of producing complete circuits within a silicon chip by forming all the circuit elements by diffusion. 1979Daily Tel. 3 Oct. 14/4 Perhaps..the biggest gains will be possible from the sophisticated electronic ‘engine management’ control systems now being developed with the aid of the silicon chip and mini computer.
1923A. P. Laurie Brit. Pat. 221, 342 1/1 According to my earlier application silicon esters are applied to the stone and allowed gradually to hydrolise in position. 1969Kirk-Othmer Encycl. Chem. Technol. (ed. 2) XVIII. 217 The silicon esters of organic acids, or silicon carboxylates, are also known and are prepared by the reaction of the acid with silicon halides.
1878Chem. News 27 Dec. 299/2 This metallic mass is a silicon iron, remarkably rich in silicon, and evidently the product of a blast-furnace. 1970Materials & Technol. III. x 769 These principles have been incorporated in the manufacture of conventional materials such as silicon-iron for electrical transformers.
1882Jrnl. Iron & Steel Inst. 376 Peculiarities of silicon steel are: the adhesive scale which covers it; a low degree of weldability; and a very fine grain. 1975D. G. Fink Electronics Engineers' Handbk. vi. 80 Silicon steels, known as electrical steels, are very widely used for low- and intermediate-frequency applications.
1974Fortune June 135/2 They have turned part of Santa Clara County into ‘Silicon Valley’, the world capital of semiconductor technology. 1980N.Y. Times 22 June iv. 8e In more recent years ‘Silicon Valley’ has grown up along the peninsula from San Francisco through Stanford University to San Jose.
1956Bell Syst. Technical Jrnl. XXXV. 3 After diffusion the entire surface of the silicon wafer is covered with the diffused n- and p-type layers. 1977Sci. Amer. Sept. 111/3 The pure, single-crystal silicon wafers that bear the circuits are much larger: currently three or four inches in diameter.
▸ attrib. orig. U.S. Usu. with capital initial. Prefixed to nouns denoting geographical features, to form place names for areas with a high density of industry devoted to information technology, as Silicon Alley, Silicon Glen, Silicon Prairie, etc.
Humorously after Silicon Valley n. at Compounds.
1976Press-Telegram (Long Beach, Calif.) 15 Nov. c9/6 Cost is the key to why so much is happening right here in Silicon Gulch. 1979N.Y. Times 14 Oct. (Job Market section) 6/3 The Dallas-Fort Worth area has grown to rival..the Silicon Valley to the point that some people call it Silicon Prairie. 1981Economist (Nexis) 15 Aug. 51 Motorola and NEC announced plans to build plants in Scotland's ‘silicon glen’. 1996Fast Company Oct.–Nov. 92/1 A renovated warehouse in the heart of Manhattan's Silicon Alley. 2006Financial Times (Nexis) 9 Jan. 22 IT companies based in Silicon Fen around Cambridge have continued to punch above their weight. |