Category Technology/Electronics

Possible pathway to fast-switching, ultra-low energy electronics based on 2D materials. Two-dimensional semiconductors offer a possible solution to the limited potential for further shrinking traditional silicon-based electronics: the long-predicted end of ‘Moore’s Law’. 2D-based electronics, which could eliminate wasted dissipation of heat and allow for very fast, ultra-low energy operation, could be enabled by a new liquidmetal deposition technique.

Moore’s law is an empirical suggestion describing that the number of transistors doubles every few years in integrated circuits (ICs)...

Designing solar panels in checkerboard lines increases their ability to absorb light by 125%, a new study says. Researchers say the breakthrough could lead to the production of thinner, lighter and more flexible solar panels that could be used to power more homes and be used in a wider range of products.

The study — led by researchers from the University of York and conducted in partnership with NOVA University of Lisbon (CENIMAT-i3N) — investigated how different surface designs impacted on the absorption of sunlight in solar cells, which put together form solar panels.

Scientists found that the checkerboard design improved diffraction, which enhanced the probability of light being absorbed which is then used to create el...

Fast-forwarding quantum calculations skips past the time limits imposed by decoherence, which plagues today’s machines. A new algorithm that fastforwards simulations could bring greater use ability to current and near-term quantum computers, opening the way for applications to run past strict time limits that hamper many quantum calculations.

“Quantum computers have a limited time to perform calculations before their useful quantum nature, which we call coherence, breaks down,” said Andrew Sornborger of the Computer, Computational, and Statistical Sciences division at Los Alamos National Laboratory, and senior author on a paper announcing the research...

Researchers harnessed the atomic motion of graphene to generate an electrical current that could lead to a chip to replace batteries. A team of University of Arkansas physicists has successfully developed a circuit capable of capturing graphene’s thermal motion and converting it into an electrical current.

“An energy-harvesting circuit based on graphene could be incorporated into a chip to provide clean, limitless, low-voltage power for small devices or sensors,” said Paul Thibado, professor of physics and lead researcher in the discovery.

The findings, published in the journal Physical Review E, are proo...