A Semiconductor That Could Alleviate Computing's Climate Problem
While a lot of the focus on fighting climate change lands on things like gasoline vehicles and factory emissions, computers gobble up plenty of carbon-based energy on their own.
Thanks, silicon for everything. Now we need something better.
Silicon has been king for a long time in computer technology. It is the namesake for America’s technology hub, Silicon Valley. However, silicon is nearing its limit as an effective semiconductor material.
Semiconductors designed to deliver extreme capabilities
By Jamie Oberdick
Your cellphone probably would not work very well in space. That is because outer space is full of radiation, and radiation causes defects in electronics that can eventually lead to device failure. You and your cellphone are likely not going to be in outer space anytime soon, but if you are an astronaut relying on electronics to get you to and from space without incident, Rongming Chu’s research may one day be key in keeping you safe.
Organic semiconductors’ glowing potential
By Jamie Oberdick
Many people think of semiconductors as vital for computers, but they have another characteristic that makes them valuable: the ability to efficiently absorb and emit light.
Two-dimensional oxides open door for high-speed electronics
By Matthew Carroll
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Advances in computing power over the decades have come thanks in part to our ability to make smaller and smaller transistors, a building block of electronic devices, but we are nearing the limit of the silicon materials typically used. A new technique for creating 2D oxide materials may pave the way for future high-speed electronics, according to an international team of scientists.
Penn State leads semiconductor packaging, heterogeneous integration center (JUMP 2.0)
By Ashley WennersHerron
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Semiconductor Research Corporation (SRC)’s Joint University Microelectronics Program 2.0 (JUMP 2.0), a consortium of industrial partners in cooperation with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), has announced the creation of a $32.7 million, Penn State-led Center for Heterogeneous Integration of Micro Electronic Systems (CHIMES).
Combination of two materials creates high-performance, stretchy nanogenerator
By Mariah Lucas
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The popularity of wearable electronics has induced demand for their parts, including power sources such as triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs). Such power sources must be both stretchy and high-performance, holding up under various deformation conditions over hours of use.
2D material may enable ultra-sharp cellphone photos in low light
By Jamie Oberdick
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — A new type of active pixel sensor that uses a novel two-dimensional material may both enable ultra-sharp cellphone photos and create a new class of extremely energy-efficient Internet of Things (IoT) sensors, according to a team of Penn State researchers.
New method can scale, simplify manufacture of stretchy semiconductors
By Mariah R. Lucas
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Soft, elastic semiconductors and circuits could advance wearable medical devices and other emerging technologies, but the high-performance electronics are difficult and expensive to manufacture. A Penn State-led research team plans to make the process easier and cheaper with a new manufacturing method.
They published their approach Nov. 28 in Nature Electronics.