semiconductors tagged posts

Putty-like Composites of Gallium metal with potential for Real-World Application

Figure 1.
(a) Liquid gallium being poured into a container. (b) Gallium putty being molded into a ball. (c) Various figures made from gallium putty. (d) Gallium putty being cut by a blade. (e) The mechanism of formation of gallium putty involves filler particles being encapsulated by a gallium oxide layer and incorporated into the gallium.

Researchers created a novel functional composite of gallium with putty or paste-like physical properties. The composite possesses excellent electromagnetic shielding as well as thermal conductivity. Gallium is a highly useful element that has accompanied the advancement of human civilization throughout the 20th century. Gallium is designated as a technologically critical element, as it is essential for the fabrication of semiconductors and transistors...

Read More

When Semiconductors stick together, materials go Quantum

The twist angle formed between atomically thin layers of tungsten disulfide and tungsten diselenide acts as a “tuning knob,” turning ordinary semiconductors into an exotic quantum material.
Credit: Berkeley Lab

A new study reveals how aligned layers of atomically thin semiconductors can yield an exotic new quantum material. A team of researchers led by the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) has developed a simple method that could turn ordinary semiconducting materials into quantum machines – superthin devices marked by extraordinary electronic behavior. Such an advancement could help to revolutionize a number of industries aiming for energy-efficient electronic systems – and provide a platform for exotic new physics.

The study describing th...

Read More

For 1st time ever, X-ray imaging captures Material Defect Process

Argonne researchers are the first to capture the formation of nanomaterial defects in near-real time. Their work will help other researchers model the behavior of materials, a step that is key to engineering stronger, more reliable materials. Credit: Mark Lopez/Argonne National Laboratory

Argonne researchers are the first to capture the formation of nanomaterial defects in near-real time. Their work will help other researchers model the behavior of materials, a step that is key to engineering stronger, more reliable materials. Credit: Mark Lopez/Argonne National Laboratory

From blacksmiths forging iron to artisans blowing glass, humans have for centuries been changing the properties of materials to build better tools. In modern life, new materials are created to improve today’s items, such as stronger steel for skyscrapers and more reliable semiconductors for cell phones...

Read More

Researchers Achieve Major Breakthrough in Flexible Electronics

NUS researchers achieve major breakthrough in flexible electronics

Dr. Png Rui-Qi (left), Mervin Ang (middle) and Cindy Tang (right) working on conducting polymers that can provide unprecedented ohmic contacts for better performance in a wide range of organic semiconductor devices. Credit: Seah Zong Long

Semiconductors, which are the very basic components of electronic devices, have improved our lives in many ways. They can be found in lighting, displays, solar modules and microprocessors that are installed in almost all modern day devices, from mobile phones, washing machines, and cars, to the emerging Internet of Things. To innovate devices with better functionality and energy efficiency, researchers are constantly looking for better ways to make them, in particular from earth-abundant materials using eco-friendly processes...

Read More