Published online by Cambridge University Press: 31 January 2011
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.