Semiconductors

Researchers from Berkeley Lab and Columbia University claim to have created the highest-performing, single-molecule diode ever. Said to be 50 times better in performance and efficiency than anything previously produced, this device may pave the way for a range of powerful new nanoscale electronics.

Researchers from the Institute of Photonic Sciences (ICFO) in Spain claim to have created a graphene-based photodetector that converts light into electricity in under 50 quadrillionths of a second. This may give rise to a new range of super-efficient, ultrafast electronic components.

A new theoretical result could lead to designing semiconductors with ideal efficiency for laser, solar cells, and converting sunlight directly into chemical fuel.

A germanium-tin laser created by scientists in Switzerland promises greater compatibility and efficiencies with silicon-based semiconductors and hold potential for light-based data transmission within computer chips, thereby negating copper wire connections and vastly increasing processing speeds.

Stanford Institute scientists have created a molecule-sized electronic component – a diode – just a few nanometers long, that may one day help replace much bulkier diodes and other semiconductors found on today's integrated circuits to produce incredibly compact, super-fast electronic devices.

A flat, self-assembling semiconductor that has the natural bandgap that graphene lacks is the promise of a new family of organometallic polymers. Tuneable for multiple applications and with high conductance, we may be seeing these compounds in our future solar panels.

Graphene is truly a 21st-century wonder material, finding use in everything from solar cells to batteries to tiny antennas. Now, however, a group of European research institutes have joined forces to create a graphene knock-off, that could prove to be even more versatile.

A special coating may allow silicon-based electronic sensors to work properly within the human body.

Germanane, a material made from one-atom-thick sheets of germanium, could replace silicon for use in electronics.

A research team at the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) has successfully used a laser to optically-cool the compound Cadmium Sulfide.

Scientists have created ultra-thin graphene-based semi-conductors, which are reportedly flexible, transparent, and cheaper to produce than traditional silicon models.

A new approach to making solar cells allow the effective use of nearly any semiconductor.