Research Bits: Sept. 8


Gallium oxide pn diodes Researchers at Nagoya University fabricated functional gallium oxide pn diodes that can carry twice as much electrical current as previous gallium oxide diodes and waste less energy than silicon-based diodes. The key challenge in making the pn diode was creating a stable p-type gallium oxide layer. While gallium oxide's crystal structure easily accepts the atoms need... » read more

System Bits: July 15


Automating bridge inspections with robotics The University of Waterloo has come up with robotics that could be used in automated inspection of bridges, making sure such critical infrastructure is safe and sound. The technology promises to make bridge inspection cheaper and easier. The system collects data for defect detection and analysis through a combination of autonomous robots, cameras,... » read more

Power/Performance Bits: April 23


Tiny spectrometer Engineers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Sandia National Laboratories, and Huazhong University of Science and Technology developed a miniature spectrometer small enough to integrate with the camera on a typical cellphone without sacrificing accuracy. This miniature sensor is CMOS compatible. "This is a compact, single-shot spectrometer that offers high resolution ... » read more