Suitable for graduate and undergraduate engineering students as well as researchers, this text presents an overview of the basic properties, types, applications, and characterization of semiconductor materials. Yacobi (U. of Toronto) begins with a discussion of interatomic bonding, crystal structure, and defects in solids. Other topics include, for example, the Schrödinger equation, light emitting and detecting devices, and microscopy techniques. A table listing the properties of common semiconductors at room temperature is found in the appendix