Solid state (electronics)
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In electronics, solid state circuits are those that neither contain vacuum tubes nor relays with moving parts. With the elimination of all the cables needed for the tubes, communication now happens in the silicon tablet with copper conductors rather than over cables. The term was introduced to describe the transition from valve-based amplifiers to transistorised amplifiers. Solid state means that electrons flow through solid semiconductor materials such as Germanium (Ge), Silicon (Si) etc., and not through empty spaces, such as in vacuum tubes. Solid-state components last much longer than their thermionic counterparts because of their greater resistance to shock, vibration and mechanical wear.
As the use of vacuum tubes in consumer electronics decreased, the term "solid state" became increasingly used as a synonym for "no moving parts". For example, digital audio players that store all their songs in flash memory are often described as solid state to differentiate them from hard disk players. Like the older usage, this usage connotes increased durability and shock resistance.
Vacuum tubes are still often used in amplifiers, high voltage devices (such as CRT televisions), and optical sensors.
