Silicon Detectors

The use of silicon detectors has experienced an exponential growth in accelerator and space based experiments, similar to trends in the semiconductor industry as a whole, usually paraphrased as ``Moore's Law.'' Some of the essentials for this phenomenon will be presented, together with examples of the exciting science results which it enabled. With the establishment of a ``semiconductor culture'' in universities and laboratories around the world, an increased understanding of the sensors results in thinner, faster, more radiation-resistant detectors, spawning an amazing wealth of new technologies and applications, which will be the main subject of the presentation.