By Jamie Oberdick
Researchers from the National Science Foundation-sponsored Two-Dimensional Crystal Consortium (2DCC-MIP) - Materials Innovation Platform may have come up with a solution for a bottleneck that has confounded researchers trying to develop high-quality 2D semiconductors for next generation electronics such as Internet of Things (IoT) and artificial intelligence.
By Jamie Oberdick
Two-dimensional materials are vital for the type of semiconductors that will push the future of electronic devices and energy-efficient lighting, but they are a challenge to make. They must have very few defects, difficult given their very small, nano-level size.
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.
FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: Geanie Umberger, Associate Vice President for Research; Director, Office of Industrial Partnerships, Penn State Sudhir Gopalswamy, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Advanced Solutions Group, onsemi Daniel Lopez, Liang Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science; Director of the Nanofabrication Lab, Penn State Catherine Côté, Vice President and Chief of Staff to the CEO, onsemi Tracy Langkilde, Dean of the Eberly College of Science (front), Penn State Justin Schwartz, Executive Vice President and Provost (back), Penn State Scott Allen, VP of Univ
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.
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.
By Jamie Oberdick
A key to America's future semiconductor success story will be building a skilled workforce, a well-prepared set of workers to address the needs of the chips industry. Workforce development is an essential part of the Chips and Science Act, designed to meet the needs of the semiconductor industry.
The big news around semiconductors, the factor that drove the CHIPS for America Act, was and is the supply chain. Many in the media focused on the shortages and disruption in the chips supply chain that was caused by the pandemic, and in turn, created big increases in the price of things like automobiles. But there is also another big deal happening with semiconductors that does not get as much attention – packaging.
In some ways, Mauricio Terrones is a gardener. An Evan Pugh University Professor and The Penn State Verne M. Willaman Professor of Physics, Terrones does not grow flowers or vegetables, but instead, one- or few-atom-thick two-dimensional (2D) materials. Specifically, creating materials with specific properties. The first 2D material ever created was graphene, and Terrones was a pioneer in developing 2D materials beyond graphene such as molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) and Tungsten disulfide (WS2). These are layered 2D materials, monolayered, bi-layered, tri-layered or more.
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.