Semiconductors

Scientists have used a form of liquid light to create a semiconductor switch that is so small that it not only blurs the distinction between light and electricity, but could also enable the development of much faster and smaller electronic components well into the future.

​A project in Germany has set a new world record for wireless data transmission, sending 6 Gigabits per second, or the equivalent of the entire contents of a conventional DVD in under 10 seconds.

A breakthrough manufacturing method, using a technique known as nanoimprint lithography, has been devised that creates high-performance transistors with wireless capabilities on rolls of common, flexible plastic.

Researchers could be fending off the demise of Moore's Law with the help of a new kind of flat semiconducting material made of tin monoxide that is only one-atom thick, allowing electrical charges to pass through it faster than silicon or other 3D materials.

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.