How did we get from the Palm Pilots of the 90s to the ultra-powerful smart phones of today? In large part, because of scaling, where integrated circuits are made with smaller feature sizes fitting more and more circuit elements in the same area of silicon at each technology generation. This sets our expectations that in […]
Semiconductors
Stretchable Thermoelectric Coils for Energy Harvesting in Miniature Flexible Wearable Devices
Miniaturized semiconductor devices with energy harvesting features have paved the way to wearable technologies and sensors. Although thermoelectric systems have attractive features in this context, the ability to maintain large temperature differences across device terminals remains increasingly difficult to achieve with accelerated trends in device miniaturization. As a result, a group of scientists in applied […]
A New Semiconductor Nanofibre Could Greatly Increase the Effectiveness of Solar Cells
A team from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) developed a novel nanostructure embedded into a semiconductor nanofibre that results in superb conductivity. The nanocomposite addresses a key inhibitor to conductivity, with the potential to improve a wide range of applications, from batteries and solar cells, to air purification devices. While semiconductors are widely used, […]
Semiconductors for Higher Efficiency, Comfort and Affordability of EVs
Electric cars are increasingly complex and frequently recalled. But does it necessarily have to be that way? A post-market in-vehicle diagnostics system and semiconductor-based technologies developed under the 3Ccar project promise greater integration of car systems, as well as constant monitoring and updates to prevent failures. 3Ccar (Integrated Components for Complexity Control in affordable electrified […]
Controlling the Crystal Size of Organic Semiconductors
Recently, solution-processable organic semiconductors are being highlighted for their potential application in printed electronics, becoming a feasible technique to fabricate large-area flexible thin film at a low cost. The field-effect mobility of small-molecule organic semiconductors is dependent on the crystallinity, crystal orientation, and crystal size. A variety of solution-based coating techniques, such as ink-jet printing, […]
Delivering Pressure with an Unconventional Crystal Interface
The use of pressure to alter semiconductor properties is showing increasing promise in applications such as high-performance infrared sensors and energy conversion devices. With a novel and unconventional crystal interface, researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have enabled more powerful and dynamic tuning of the method, which they initially pioneered in 2015. “A conventional way to […]
Discovery of New Superconducting Materials Using Materials Informatics
A NIMS-Ehime University joint research team succeeded in discovering new materials that exhibit superconductivity under high pressures using materials informatics (MI) approaches (data science-based material search techniques). This study experimentally demonstrated that MI enables efficient exploration of new superconducting materials. MI approaches may be applicable to the development of various functional materials, including superconductors. Superconducting […]
NUST MISIS Scientists Discover Special Deformation of Nanotubes to Allow Them to Change Conductivity
Scientists from the NUST MISIS Laboratory of Inorganic Nanomaterials together with their international colleagues have proved it possible to change the structural and conductive properties of nanotubes by stretching them. This can potentially expand nanotubes’ application into electronics and high-precision sensors such as microprocessors and high-precision detectors. The research article has been published in Ultramicroscopy. Carbon nanotubes can be represented as a sheet […]
Building the Ion Implanters that Make Next-Generation Technology Possible
As the phones get slimmer, the optics crisper and the processors faster, have you ever wondered what is happening behind the scenes that make these remarkable achievements possible? During the AVS 65th International Symposium and Exhibition, Oct. 21-26, 2018, in Long Beach, California, Svetlana Radovanov will discuss the research and development that ultimately are used […]
Molecular Semiconductors Could Be the Future of Electronics, and This New Technique Offers a Way to Mass Produce Them
Visions for what we can do with future electronics depend on finding ways to go beyond the capabilities of silicon conductors. The experimental field of molecular electronics is thought to represent a way forward, and recent work at KTH may enable scalable production of the nanoscale electrodes that are needed in order to explore molecules […]