The following article is based on the plenary presentation given by Darryl L. Smith of
Los Alamos National Laboratory on December 1, 2003, at the Materials Research
Society Fall Meeting in Boston. The presentation contrasted the electronic structure of
inorganic semiconductors with that of organic semiconductors, examined how the
differences in electronic structure lead to complementary physical properties, and
discussed applications of these materials—including infrared detectors and sources,
gamma-ray detectors, and chemical/biological sensors—that are of interest to issues of
national security.