Browse Topic: Semiconductors

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Reduced Heat Leakage Improves Wearable Health DeviceTBMG-396178/1/2021
Researchers have enhanced a flexible body heat harvester by preventing heat leakage. The harvesters use heat energy from the human body to power wearable technologies. The technology relies on the same principles governing rigid thermoelectric harvesters that convert heat to electrical energy.
Graphene “Nano-Origami” Creates Tiny MicrochipsTBMG-396048/1/2021
Tiny microchips can be made from graphene and other two-dimensional (2D) materials using a form of “nano-origami.” By creating kinks in the structure of graphene, researchers made the nanomaterial behave like a transistor and showed that when a strip of graphene is crinkled in this way, it can behave like a microchip that is around 100 times smaller than conventional microchips.
Quantum-Limit-Approaching Chemical Sensing ChipTBMG-386393/1/2021
University at Buffalo researchers are reporting an advancement of a chemical sensing chip that could lead to handheld devices that detect trace chemicals — everything from illicit drugs to pollution — as quickly as a breathalyzer identifies alcohol.
New Semiconductor Detector Shows Promise for Medical DiagnosticsTBMG-385582/1/2021
Northwestern University researchers have developed new devices based on a low-cost material to aid in the detection and identification of radioactive isotopes. Using cesium lead bromide in the form of perovskite crystals, the research team found that they were able to create highly efficient detectors in both small, portable devices for field researchers and in very large detectors. The results are more than a decade in the making.
Platform for All-Optical ComputingTBMG-383601/1/2021
Researchers have developed a new platform for all-optical computing, meaning computations done solely with beams of light. Most computation right now uses hard materials such as metal wires, semiconductors, and photodiodes to couple electronics to light. All-optical computing removes the rigid components and controls light with light.
Supercool Mini-ThermometerTBMG-383351/1/2021
Researchers have developed a miniature superconducting thermometer that measures temperatures below 1 kelvin (-272.15 °C or -457.87 °F), down to 50 millikelvin (mK) and potentially 5 mK. It is smaller, faster, and more convenient than conventional cryogenic thermometers for chip-scale devices and could be mass-produced.
New Method Makes Computer Memory from Titanium OxideTBMG-383401/1/2021
A team has developed a method to imbue computer chips that power machine-learning applications with more processing power by using a common material found in house paint in an analog memory device that enables highly energy-efficient machine inference operations. The material, titanium oxide, is a commonly made material used in house paint. It is an oxide, which means it already contains oxygen. Subtracting some of the oxygen creates oxygen vacancies that make the material electrically conductive. Those oxygen vacancies can now store electrical data, giving almost any device more computing power.
High-Efficiency Megawatt MotorTBMG-3813712/1/2020
Innovators at NASA Glenn Research Center have designed a High-Efficiency Megawatt Motor (HEMM), a wound-field partially superconducting machine. The HEMM implements a combination of superconducting and non-superconducting elements, along with an integrated cryocooler, to achieve some of the benefits of a superconducting motor without the need for an external cryogenic system.
Atomically Thin Light-Emitting Device for Invisible DisplaysTBMG-3820812/1/2020
A bright-light-emitting device that is millimeters wide and fully transparent was developed. The light-emitting material in this device is a monolayer semiconductor that is three atoms thick, allowing it to conform to curved surfaces.
Tiny, Magnetically Powered Neural StimulatorTBMG-3800811/1/2020
Neuroengineers have created a tiny surgical implant that can electrically stimulate the brain and nervous system without using a battery or wired power supply. The device draws its power from magnetic energy and is about the size of a grain of rice. It is the first magnetically powered neural stimulator that produces the same kind of high-frequency signals as clinically approved, battery-powered implants that are used to treat epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, chronic pain, and other conditions.
Tiny Devices Promise New Horizon for Medical ImagingTBMG-3807411/1/2020
Miniature devices that could be developed into safe, high-resolution imaging technology, with uses such as helping doctors identify potentially deadly cancers and treat them early, have been created in research involving the University of Strathclyde.
E-Tongue Nanosensor ArrayTBMG-3799511/1/2020
E-Tongue, a patent-pending technology, is comprised of a silicon-based interdigitated electrode (IDE) array with nanostructured materials that can detect biomolecules and chemical compounds in a liquid sample.
Electronics Mimic the Human Brain in Biological LearningTBMG-3782810/1/2020
Researchers have discovered, while investigating protein nanowires, how to use these biological, electricity-conducting filaments to make a neuromorphic memristor or “memory transistor” device. It runs extremely efficiently on very low power, as brains do, to carry signals between neurons.
“One-Way” Electronic DevicesTBMG-3779910/1/2020
Waves — whether they are light waves, sound waves, or any other kind — travel in the same manner in forward and reverse directions. This is known as the principle of reciprocity. If waves could be routed in one direction only — breaking reciprocity — many applications could be transformed by enabling “one-way” components such as circulators and isolators that enable two-way communication, which could double the data capacity of today's wireless networks. These components are essential to quantum computers that read a qubit without disturbing it. They are also critical to radar systems in self-driving cars or those used by the military.
Using Silicon for Battery AnodesTBMG-3779110/1/2020
The same material used in pencils (graphite) has long been a key component in today's lithium-ion batteries. As reliance on these batteries increases, however, graphite-based electrodes are due for an upgrade.
Fluoride Materials for Extra-Thin Computer ChipsTBMG-3782710/1/2020
Smaller and more compact is the direction in which computer chips are moving. Two-dimensional (2D) materials are considered to have great potential since they are as thin as a material can possibly be — in extreme cases, they consist of only one single layer of atoms. This makes it possible to produce novel electronic components with tiny dimensions, high speed, and optimal efficiency.
Combined Optical Transmitter and ReceiverTBMG-3782310/1/2020
A new device made from perovskite — one of a large family of materials defined by their special crystal structure — can be directed in two directions: it can receive optical signals and just as easily transmit them. This means that text and photographs can be wirelessly transmitted from one unit to the other and back again, using two identical units, and can be done in real time.
Comb-on-a-Chip Optical Ruler Measures Colors of Light WavesTBMG-376349/1/2020
Just as a meter stick with hundreds of tick marks can be used to measure distances with great precision, a device known as a laser frequency comb — with its hundreds of evenly spaced, sharply defined frequencies — can be used to measure the colors of light waves with great precision.
Radiation-Tolerant FPGAs Solve Spacecraft Design ChallengesTBMG-376169/1/2020
Satellite and spacecraft system designers have a few different options when selecting field programmable gate arrays (FPGA) semiconductors. One FPGA option is commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components that reduce component unit cost and lead time, but they are generally not reliable enough, must be up-screened (which increases cost and engineering resources), and require soft and hard Triple Modular Redundancy (TMR) to mitigate radiation effects in space.
Hermetically Sealed SemiconductorsTBMG-376479/1/2020
Tomorrow’s electronics are getting smaller so researchers are looking for tiny components that function reliably in increasingly narrow configurations. Promising elements include the chemical compounds indium selenide (InSe) and gallium selenide (GaSe). In the form of ultra-thin layers, they form two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors. But they degrade when they get in contact with air during manufacturing.
Room-Temperature Magnon SwitchTBMG-374498/1/2020
Researchers have demonstrated a potentially new way to make switches inside a computer’s processing chips, enabling them to use less energy and radiate less heat. The practical technique controls magnons, which are essentially waves that travel through magnetic materials and can carry information. To use magnons for information processing requires a switching mechanism that can control the transmission of a magnon signal through the device.
Q&A: Underwater Smart Glue Turns On and OffTBMG-372177/1/2020
Bruce Lee, Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Michigan Technological University, and his team have developed a process whereby an adhesive can be deactivated by applying a small voltage.
A Combined Optical Transmitter and ReceiverTBMG-371947/1/2020
Researchers at Linköping University, together with colleagues in China, have developed a tiny unit that is both an optical transmitter and a receiver.
Graphene Device with Superconducting, Insulating, and Magnetic PropertiesTBMG-370326/1/2020
Thinner than a single strand of DNA yet 200 times stronger than steel, graphene is an excellent conductor of electricity and heat and it can conform to any number of shapes, from an ultrathin 2D sheet to an electronic circuit.
Soft Tactile Logic Distributes Decision-Making Throughout Stretchable MaterialTBMG-370476/1/2020
Soft tactile logic was developed that can make decisions at the material level where the sensor is receiving input, rather than relying on a centralized, semiconductor-based logic system. The resulting device is not quite a robot and not quite a computer but has characteristics of both.
Method Enables Conductive Gels to Stick When WetTBMG-368555/1/2020
Polymers that are good conductors of electricity could be useful in biomedical devices to help with sensing or electrostimulation, for example. But there has been a sticking point preventing their widespread use: their inability to adhere to a surface such as a sensor or microchip and stay put despite moisture from the body.
Lab-on-a-Chip Enables “Liquid Biopsy” of Cancer CellsTBMG-368475/1/2020
An ultra-sensitive diagnostic device was developed that enables “liquid biopsy” analysis. The device detects exosomes — tiny parcels of biological information produced by tumor cells to stimulate tumor growth or metastasize. Exosomes send messages to recipient cells and communicate molecular information important in many biological functions. While all cells produce exosomes, tumor cells are more active compared to normal cells.
Nano-Infused Ceramic Can Report its own HealthTBMG-368305/1/2020
A ceramic was developed that becomes more electrically conductive under elastic strain and less conductive under plastic strain. The material could lead to a new generation of sensors embedded into structures like buildings, bridges, and aircraft able to monitor their own health.
New Material Enables Stable Semiconductor Neutron DetectorsTBMG-368595/1/2020
With the ability to sense smuggled nuclear materials, highly efficient neutron detectors are critical for national security. Currently, there are two classes of detectors that either use helium gas or flashes of light. These detectors are very large — sometimes the size of a wall.
Model Predicts Breaking Point of Conducting MaterialTBMG-363974/1/2020
Next-generation flexible electronics, such as bendable displays and medical implants, will rely on semiconductor materials that are mechanically flexible. Accurate predictions of the temperature when embrittlement occurs, known as the glass transition temperature, is crucial to design conducting polymers that remain flexible at room temperature.
Fabrication and Electrical Characterization of Correlated Oxide Field Effect Switching Devices for High Speed ElectronicsTBMG-366064/1/2020
Metal insulator transitions (MITs) in oxides are an intriguing problem from both a fundamental materials physics and an applied technology perspective. Though the precise roles of electron correlations and lattice distortions on the phase transition remains an active area of research, many recent theoretical studies have suggested intimate interplay among the orbital splitting/polarization, correlation effects, and Peierls dimerization in the 3d1 system. Occupied states have been probed by x ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and a rough structure of unoccupied 3d-like states have been deduced by O K-edge x-ray absorption measurements. NbO2, a 4d1 system, like VO2 crystallizes in a distorted rutile type structure with Nb dimers and undergoes a temperature induced MIT, albeit at a considerably higher temperature of ~1083 K. It is commonly accepted that because 4d orbital valence states are more dispersed in both space and energy, Mott physics is less important in 4d transition metal
High Thermally Conductive Polymeric CompositesTBMG-363954/1/2020
There has been much interest in developing polymeric nanocomposites with ultra-high thermal conductivities such as with exfoliated graphite or carbon nanotubes. These materials exhibit thermal conductivity of 3,000 W/mK measured experimentally and up to 6,600 W/mK predicted from theoretical calculations. But when added to polymers, the expected thermal conductivity enhancement is not realized due to poor interfacial thermal transfer.
Leading Women in Engineering & Science: Dr. Annette Teng, CEO; Lisa Wen, Process EngineerTBMG-362633/1/2020
Hybrid Technique Aims to Produce Stronger, Corrosion-Resistant NickelTBMG-362773/1/2020
Nickel is a widely used metal in the manufacturing industry for both industrial and advanced material processes. Now, Purdue University innovators have created a hybrid technique to fabricate a new form of nickel that may help the future production of life-saving medical devices, as well as hightech devices and vehicles with strong corrosion-resistant protection.
Wearable Health Tech Gets Efficiency UpgradeTBMG-362543/1/2020
North Carolina State University engineers have demonstrated a flexible device that harvests the heat energy from the human body to monitor health. The device surpasses all other flexible harvesters that use body heat as the sole energy source.
Improved Model Predicts Heat Loss in Gallium Nitride SemiconductorsTBMG-361893/1/2020
Engineers have found that the model currently used to predict heat loss in a common semiconductor material does not apply in all situations. By testing the thermal properties of gallium nitride semiconductors fabricated using four popular methods, they discovered that some techniques produce materials that perform better than others.
Celebrating Women in Engineering & Science: Renee Bernstein, CEO, Cotronics CorporationTBMG-361673/1/2020
Multimaterial Fiber “Ink” for 3D-Printed DevicesTBMG-359752/1/2020
A new method uses standard 3D printers to produce functioning devices with the electronics already embedded inside. The devices are made of fibers containing multiple interconnected materials that can light up, sense their surroundings, store energy, or perform other actions.
Q&A: Electrically Conductive Coated Yarn for Wearable, Washable FabricsTBMG-359822/1/2020
Professor Genevieve Dion, Director of Drexel University's (Philadelphia, PA) Center for Functional Fabrics, is collaborating with other experts to coat yarn with the highly conductive, two-dimensional material MXene. They demonstrated that the yarn could be used with standard textile manufacturing techniques to create wearable conductive fabric.
Weyl Semimetals (WSM) for Electronics ApplicationsTBMG-360522/1/2020
The major factor determining transport properties of solids is the number of electron states in a vicinity of Fermi level. In equilibrium, no macroscopic flow of electrons exists and, therefore, in order to create such flow, electrons must be excited over their equilibrium distribution. However, electrons with energies well below the Fermi level (compared to the characteristic energy scale kBT, where kB is the Boltzmann constant and T is the temperature), cannot acquire small excitation energy. Indeed, in this case, they would have energy corresponding to already occupied states, which is prohibited by the Pauli principle. In turn, well above the Fermi level, where excitation of electrons is not constrained by the Pauli principle, the electron states are not populated, thus making their contribution to the response negligible.
Q&A: A Shape-Morphing, Self-Healing Soft CompositeTBMG-357881/1/2020
Carmel Majidi, Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, and his team has developed a material with a unique combination of high electrical and thermal conductivity, with actuation and self-repair capabilities that are unlike any other soft composite.
Technique Uses X-Rays to Detect Defective Computer ChipsTBMG-3570912/1/2019
Guaranteeing that computer chips — which can consist of billions of interconnected transistors — are manufactured without defects is a challenge. It’s also a challenge to determine if a chip is compromised. A new technique would allow companies and other organizations to non-destructively scan chips to ensure that they haven’t been altered and that they are manufactured to design specifications without error.
Method Manipulates Electrons and Transmits Information Quantum-MechanicallyTBMG-3571812/1/2019
A quantum computer operates on the principles of quantum mechanics, a unique set of rules that governs at the extremely small scale of atoms and subatomic particles. When dealing with particles at these scales, many of the rules that govern classical physics no longer apply and quantum effects emerge. A quantum computer is able to perform complex calculations, factor extremely large numbers, and simulate the behaviors of atoms and particles at levels that classical computers cannot.
Superconductivity in a Nickel Oxide MaterialTBMG-3568912/1/2019
Scientists have made the first nickel oxide material that shows clear signs of superconductivity — the ability to transmit electrical current with no loss. Also known as a nickelate, it's the first unconventional superconductor that is very similar to copper oxides, or cuprates, which indicated that superconductors could someday operate at near-room-temperature and revolutionize electronic devices, power transmission, and other technologies. Those similarities may show that nickelates could also superconduct at relatively high temperatures.
Molecular Engineering for Mechanically Resilient and Stretchable Electronic Polymers and Composites19AERP12_1012/1/2019
Establishing the design criteria for elasticity and ductility in conjugated polymers and composites by analysis of the structural determinants of the mechanical properties. Air Force Research Laboratory, Arlington, Virginia The ability to predict the mechanical properties of organic semiconductors is of critical importance for roll-to-roll production and thermomechanical reliability of organic electronic devices. This research describes the use of coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations to predict the density, tensile modulus, Poisson ratio, and glass transition temperature for poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and its blend with C60. In particular, it is shown that the resolution of the coarse-grained model has a strong effect on the predicted properties. It was found that a one-site model, in which each 3-hexylthiophene unit is represented by one coarse-grained bead, predicts significantly inaccurate values of density and tensile modulus. In contrast, a three-site model, with one
Molecular Engineering for Mechanically Resilient and Stretchable Electronic Polymers and CompositesTBMG-3566412/1/2019
The ability to predict the mechanical properties of organic semiconductors is of critical importance for roll-to-roll production and thermomechanical reliability of organic electronic devices. This research describes the use of coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations to predict the density, tensile modulus, Poisson ratio, and glass transition temperature for poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and its blend with C60. In particular, it is shown that the resolution of the coarse-grained model has a strong effect on the predicted properties.
Method Makes Transistors and Electronic Devices from ThreadTBMG-3546711/1/2019
A transistor has been made from linen thread, enabling the creation of electronic devices made entirely of thin threads that could be woven into fabric, worn on the skin, or implanted surgically for diagnostic monitoring. The flexible electronic devices could enable a range of applications that conform to different shapes and allow free movement without compromising function.
Ultrathin Transistors for Faster Computer ChipsTBMG-3528310/1/2019
For decades, microchip transistors have become smaller, faster, and cheaper; however, miniaturization has reached a natural limit, as completely new problems arise when a length scale of only a few nanometers is approached.
Ultra-Clean Fabrication Platform for 2D TransistorsTBMG-351299/1/2019
Recently discovered two-dimensional (2D) materials with superlative properties have the potential to advance semiconductors but creating 2D devices with both good electrical contacts and stable performance has proved challenging.
Organic Semiconductor Thin-Film Sensors Detect Disease Markers in BreathTBMG-348958/1/2019
Organic semiconductors (OSCs) have emerged as a new class of electronic materials promising a wide range of applications including organic field-effect transistors (OFET), solar cells, thermoelectrics, electronic skins, and chemical and mechanical sensors by virtue of their chemical versatility, solution processability, and mechanical flexibility.
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