The field of chemical functionalization of semiconductor surfaces has developed tremendously over the last several decades. Since silicon occupied the main portion of the industrial applications of semiconductors, understanding its surface chemistry at a molecular level is very advanced. This particular field has also benefited from combining the work on well-defined clean silicon surfaces in vacuum, well characterized chemically-passivated surfaces in ambient, and current and potential applications of the resulting interfaces. This article will use this work to build a generalized evaluation of the developments in surface chemical functionalization, specifically addressing organic functionalization of semiconductors, and consider the challenges and opportunities for further evolution of the field. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.