Silicon Photonics Comes Into Focus


Silicon photonics is attracting growing attention and investment as a companion technology to copper wiring inside of data centers, raising new questions about what comes next and when. Light has always been the ultimate standard for speed. It requires less energy to move large quantities of data, generates less heat than electricity, and it can work equally well over long or short distances... » read more

Power/Performance Bits: Aug. 4


Superfast fluorescence Duke University researchers developed an ultrafast light-emitting device, pushing semiconductor quantum dots to emit light at more than 90 gigahertz. This device could one day be used in optical computing chips or for optical communication between traditional electronic microchips. The new speed record was set using plasmonics. When a laser shines on the surface of ... » read more

Power/Performance Bits: March 17


Artificial photosynthesis: leaves of nickel Inspired by a chemical process found in leaves, Caltech scientists developed an electrically conductive film that could help pave the way for devices capable of harnessing sunlight to split water into hydrogen fuel. When applied to semiconducting materials (it's been tested with silicon, indium phosphide, and cadmium telluride), the team's film ... » read more