Silicium

==History==
The Swedish chemist Jöns Jacob Berzelius discovered silicium and zirconium in 1824. In 1952, Bell Laboratories in America produced silicium crystals which were needed for manufacturing super-pure semi-conductors. To do so, silicium mono-crystals had to be 'bred' in a complicated smelting and recrystallization process. The purity level of these mono-crystals had to be extremely high, for only very pure crystals could be used in the production of extremely sensitive transistors. Silicium revolutionized computer electronics in 1967.
==Did You Know That?==
With a frequency of 16.3%, silicium is a common element in the earth´s mantle. It conducts more electricity as its temperature increases and is therefore known as a semiconductor. Unlike real metals such as iron and copper, this element is not fully conductive and is therefore a half-metal. In the first half of the 20th century, silicium was discovered to be the essential raw material for the construction of highly-sensitive transistors. In the 60s, computer companies used the semiconductor for their latest inventions.
Category:Surface Mining
Category:9000