Silicon, an amazing material
Silicon is the richest elements on the earth. and the high-purity silicon has been the heart of digital era. silicon creates semiconductor industry. when scientists are doubt about its performance for nanoelectronics, not long ago, it enters a new wide application field: solar cell. that still is not its end. a startup claimed new kind of white LED using silicon not traditional compound semiconductor according to technology review:
Researchers at a Canadian startup say they've found a way to make low-cost, white-light LEDs that could one day end our addiction to inefficient incandescent bulbs. They claim to have cracked the cost barrier for solid-state lighting by replacing the expensive semiconductors compounds traditionally used in LEDs with low-cost silicon.
I am not curious about this startup's innovation, but I am really amazed by this material called silicon. I have several years experiences in semiconductor industry. now people in IC industry are talking about the substitute for silicon because silicon's carrier mobility and other physical performance can't satisfy future device demand in nanoelectronics era. so researchers turn to carbon nanotube, nanowire, metal gate, even changing gate shape like tri-gate transistor, etc. It seems silicon's fate in IC industry is unavoidable. but soon a new market opens for silicon, that's solar cell. if you look at silicon's price in recent years, you will know silicon become a super star in electronic material industry again!
now, come back to TR's news story. if this startup can really commercialize this technology, silicon's potential will be extended once again. how amazing!! the most ordinary element on this globe brings such many science and technology miracles to our humankind. we really should treat everything in the nature and everyone in our lives right.
Written by Keanu Zhang - Visit Website Related posts: No Related Posts
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@October 24th, 2006 03:22 | |
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@October 24th, 2006 10:34 | |
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