Semiconductors
Researchers develop high-performance bulk thermoelectrics
May 23, 2011 4:29 am | News | CommentsRecently, scientists have concocted a recipe for a thermoelectric material that might be able to operate off nothing more than the heat of a car's exhaust. In a paper, a team reported on a compound that shows high efficiency at less extreme temperatures.
Full-color flexible AMOLED video displays hit show circuit
May 18, 2011 7:18 am | News | CommentsThis week at the Society for Information Display show, Arizona State and Universal Display Corp. are showing off their latest milestone: a full-color, full-motion video display prototype built on a flexible substrate. The device, which is intended for military use, was built using a bond-debond approach pioneered at ASU’s Flexible Display Center along with Universal Display’s proprietary encapsulation technology.
Energy-efficient laser for optical communication systems
May 17, 2011 7:41 am | by Andrew Myers | News | CommentsIn the push toward ever-smaller and ever-faster data transmission technology, a team of Stanford electrical engineers has produced a nanoscale laser that is much faster and more energy efficient than anything available today.
Pyroelectric energy harvesters transform waste heat into energy
May 16, 2011 12:46 pm | News | CommentsTiny energy converters being developed Oak Ridge National Lab are designed for deployment in high-performance computer chips as way to use thermal energy to generate power for much-needed cooling. The research team reports that efficiency levels of their cantilevered invention are far higher than existing harvesters.
New physical phenomenon could lead to faster transistors
May 13, 2011 5:07 am | by Larry Hardesty, MIT News Office | News | CommentsIn Science , MIT researchers and their colleagues at the Univ. of Augsburg in Germany report the discovery of a new physical phenomenon that could yield transistors with greatly enhanced capacitance. And that, in turn, could lead to the revival of clock speed as the measure of a computer’s power.
Unique processor chips with tiny radar transceivers
May 6, 2011 12:05 pm | by Nils Ragnar Løvhaug/Else Lie | News | CommentsNorwegian company Novelda has recently developed silicon chips which measure just 2 x 2 mm, but contain nearly two million transistors and 512 radars that simultaneously sense and transmit information. Unlike conventional radar devices, which must be placed several meters away from the object to be measured, Novelda's can be located directly on the object.
Accelerating industry adoption of 3D integration of integrated circuits and systems
May 6, 2011 5:22 am | News | CommentsSemiconductor Research Corp. (SRC), a university-research consortium for semiconductors and related technologies, announced it is leading an effort to address key roadblocks for wide-scale adoption of the emerging 3D integration of integrated circuits (IC) and systems. These new initiatives will develop solutions that address critical reliability and design tool issues and leverage a partnership formed by researchers from universities and the semiconductor industry at large.
NRL scientists achieve high temperature milestone in silicon spintronics
May 5, 2011 6:36 am | News | CommentsOperating temperatures for semiconductor devices range up to 125 degrees Celsius. By validating that the full spintronics process can be completed at temperature up to 225 degrees Celsius, Naval Research Lab scientists have confirmed for the first time that spin information can be transported in silicon over distances compatible with existing fabrication techniques. The breakthrough is essential to validate spin as an alternative to charge for a device technology.
For computer chip builders, only one way to go: Up
May 5, 2011 5:22 am | by Jordan Robertson, AP Technology Writer | News | CommentsThe breakthrough 3-D tri-gate transistor Intel showcased on Wednesday is a breakthrough, mainly because chip designers have nowhere else to go on a 2-D surface. The miniscule fins add computing power without adding chip size, just as skyscrapers maximize use of land. Intel's advance does not add a complete third dimension to chip-making, but that remains a distant but hotly pursued goal of the industry.
Zeroing in on the elusive green LED
April 26, 2011 4:46 am | News | CommentsResearchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have developed a new method for manufacturing green-colored LEDs with greatly enhanced light output.
Berkeley Lab researchers find plasmonic resonances in semiconductor nanocrystals
April 18, 2011 7:39 am | News | CommentsBerkeley Lab researchers have achieved plasmonic properties in the semiconductor nanocrystals known as quantum dots. Until now plasmonic properties have been limited to nanostructures that feature interfaces between noble metals and dielectrics. This new discovery should make the already hot field of plasmonic technology even hotter.
Ultra-fast magnetic reversal observed
April 14, 2011 7:33 am | News | CommentsIn magnetic memory, data is encoded by reversing the magnetization of tiny points. The speed of this helps us quickly store and retrieve data. For the first time, researchers in Germany explored the limits of reversal, and to their surprise found that some atoms reversed faster than others, causing strong magnetism. If harnessed, this phenomenon could speed read/write times in magnetic data storage devices by a factor of 1,000.
Research advances understanding of lead selenide nanowires
April 8, 2011 8:34 am | News | CommentsA research team at the Univ. of Pennsylvania’s schools of Engineering and Applied Science and Arts and Sciences has shown how to control the characteristics of semiconductor nanowires made of a promising material: lead selenide.
GE to build nation's largest solar power plant
April 7, 2011 7:18 am | News | CommentsThe technology giant anticipates the new factory, which will produce solar power panels certified by the National Renewable Energy Lab, will employ 400 people and provide enough panels to power 800,000 homes per year. The plant’s location, however is still up in the air.
Breakthrough polymer nanoparticles detect and destroy MRSA and other bacteria
April 4, 2011 7:31 am | News | CommentsResearchers at IBM and Singapore’s Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology have used principles in semiconductor manufacturing to build new types of nanoscale polymer structures that are attracted to infected cells like a magnet. It carries agents that break through cell walls, eliminating the ability of MRSA and other bacterial diseases to develop resistance.
New 3D x-ray microscope achieves submicron resolution at large distances
March 30, 2011 7:38 am | Product Releases | CommentsXradia, a California-based manufacturer of computed tomography instrumentation, introduced this week the VersaXRM-500, a 3-D x-ray microscope that delivers submicron spatial resolution with a working distance of millimeters to inches from the source. The instrument may speed development of 3-D interconnect technology for the semiconductor industry.
Japan quake stirs unease about global supply chain
March 30, 2011 7:02 am | by Joe McDonald, AP Business Writer | News | CommentsA shortage of auto parts and other components after Japan's earthquake has stirred unease about two pillars of manufacturing: the country's role as a crucial link in the global supply chain and "just in time" production. The realization that these practices have made companies brittle in the face of natural disasters has some questioning current practices.
Silver-diamond composite offers cooling capabilities for electronics
March 1, 2011 3:46 am | News | CommentsResearchers at the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) are developing a solid composite material to help cool small, powerful microelectronics used in defense systems. The material, composed of silver and diamond, promises an exceptional degree of thermal conductivity compared to materials currently used for this application.
Scientists develop new kind of optical fiber
February 28, 2011 4:06 am | News | CommentsA team of scientists has developed the very first optical fiber made with a core of zinc selenide. The new class of optical fiber, which allows for a more effective and liberal manipulation of light, promises to open the door to more versatile laser-radar technology.
Another Sputnik Moment?
February 9, 2011 7:45 am | by Rita C. Peters | Articles | CommentsIn his State of the Union address in late January, President Barack Obama identified the nation’s urgent need for innovation as “our generation’s Sputnik moment”. Is this political rhetoric? A first volley in budget negotiations? Or, is it a wake-up call for researchers and the organizations that fund their work?
IBM, Samsung sign patent cross-license deal
February 8, 2011 3:47 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsIBM and Samsung Electronics Co. announced this week they have signed a patent cross-license agreement, which means each will license its respective patent portfolios to the other. In 2010, IBM was the top producer of new patents in the U.S., while South Korea's Samsung was also among the top 10.
Molybdenite: a material to revolutionize electronics?
February 1, 2011 9:48 am | News | CommentsResearchers in France recently published a study showing that molybdenum has distinct advantages over traditional silicon or graphene for use in electronics applications. In addition to being an effective semiconductor, this abundant mineral is easy to use in nanotechnology and could used to fashion very small transistors, LEDs, and solar cells.
Transistor for plastic electronics exhibits the best of both worlds
January 27, 2011 5:11 am | News | CommentsIn the quest to develop flexible plastic electronics, one of the stumbling blocks has been creating transistors with enough stability for them to function in a variety of environments while still maintaining the current needed to power the devices. Now, researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology describe a new method of combining top-gate organic field-effect transistors with a bilayer gate insulator. This allows the transistor to perform with incredible stability while exhibiting good current performance.
Gains reported for thermoelectric performance in bulk semiconductors
January 26, 2011 6:26 am | News | CommentsResearchers from Boston College, MIT, Clemson University and the University of Virginia have used nanotechnology to achieve a 60-90% increase in the thermoelectric figure of merit of a common bulk semiconductor compound. The materials preparation method is reportedly low-cost and readily scalable.
Practical full-spectrum solar cell comes closer to reality
January 25, 2011 4:20 am | News | CommentsAlthough full-spectrum solar cells have been made, none yet have been suitable for manufacture at a consumer-friendly price. Now, a Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory team has demonstrated a solar cell that not only responds to virtually the entire solar spectrum, it can also readily be made using one of the semiconductor industry’s most common manufacturing techniques.
