Semiconductor's Article Analysis
Electricity plays a significant role in society’s day to day life. Energy being required to make electric charges leave atoms and move, is usually the bare minimal understanding we grasp about the electronics we use every single day. The three methods of electricity within objects include friction, conduction, and induction and the two types of objects that deal with electricity are insulators and conductors. The following articles we read deal with semiconductors, commonly metalloids, often used in technology.
Hexagonal Boron Nitride, a more transparent version of graphene, is chemically inert and atomically smooth semiconductor; thus, making it useful in the foundation for the electronics in cell phones, laptops, tablets, and many other devices. The process of “standard atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition with a similar furnace, temperature and time,” is only differentiated by a “more gentle, controllable way to release the reactant into the furnace and figuring out how to take advantage of inner furnace conditions. These two factors are almost always neglected.” (“Process Could Be White Lightning to Electronics Industry”) Therefore, the primary idea is potentially having batteries, capacitors, solar cells, video screens, and fuel cells as thin as a slice of paper.
Attempting to slow down the movement of electrons to observe them and their habits has been an ultimate goal of physicists since the discovery of electrons being in the outer orbitals of an atom. Hence, when a physics group at CU-Boulder used a new ultrafast optical microscope they developed, probing and visualizing the atomic scale, and discovered a way to observe “more than a trillion image frames in the blink of an eye” (“Grab Some Popcorn”), the announcement was rather astounding. Professor Markus Raschke states, “We imaged and measured the motions of electrons in real space and time, and we were able to make it into a movie to help us better understand the fundamental physical processes.” (“Grab Some Popcorn”); emphasizing the group’s phenomenal observation. The study itself brought nanoscale microscopy to the next level, detailing the images to evolve on extremely fast time scales. Similar to the White Lightning to Electronics article, Grab Some Popcorn mentions that “this work expands the reach of optical microscope… using this technique, researchers can image the elemental processes in materials ranging from battery electrodes to solar cells, helping to improve the efficiency and lifetime… Unlike electron microscope approaches, the new technique does not require ultra-high vacuum techniques and is particularly promising to studying ultrafast processes like charge and energy transport in soft matter, including biological materials.” (“Grab Some Popcorn”) Thus, this slow-motion electron movie aides in research involving optical microscopes which in turn relate to semiconductors and electrons.
In another study, researchers managed to confirm a new way to control the growth paths of graphene nanoribbons on the surface of a germanium crystal. Therefore, this “method provides a straightforward way to make semiconducting nanoscale circuits from graphene, a form of carbon only one atom thick.” (“Semiconducting Graphene Nanoribbons”), involving the semiconductor, Germanium. The technique idea is to flow a mixture of methane, hydrogen, and argon gases into a tube furnace; since methane decomposes into carbon ator at high temperatures, it would then settle onto the germanium surface to form a uniform graphene sheet. Therefore, by adjusting the chamber’s settings, the UW team was “able to exert very precise control over the material” (“Semiconducting Graphene Nanoribbons”). Due to graphene being known for moving electrons at lightning speed across its surface without interference, it became an ideal material for “faster, more energy-efficient electronics.” (“Semiconducting Graphene Nanoribbons”). However, the ideal circumstance for the semiconductor industry is to “make circuits start and stop at will via band-gaps, as they do in computer chips. As a semimetal, graphene naturally has no band-gaps, making it a challenge for widespread industry adoption” (“Semiconducting Graphene Nanoribbons”). Accordingly, once data was gathered from the electron signatures, it allowed the creation of images of the “material’s dimensions and orientation. In addition, they were able to determine its band structure and extent to which electrons scattered throughout the material… What’s even more interesting is that these nanoribbons can be made to grow in certain directions on one side of the germanium crystal.” (“Semiconducting Graphene Nanoribbons”). Thus, while the investigations continue to focus on efforts of how exactly the self-directed graphene nanoribbons grow on the (1,0,0) face, attempting to determine if there is any unique interaction between germanium and graphene, the use in electronic devices, the semiconductor industry is primarily interested in the three faces of germanium crystal.
Similar to the nanocircuitry with semiconducting graphene nanoribbons, engineers have also discovered groundbreaking semiconducting material that could lead to much faster electronics. In fact, the Utah engineers who partook in this investigation, discovered a “new kind of 2D semiconducting material for electronics that opens the door for much speedier computers and smartphones that also consume a lot less power” (“Engineering Material Magic”). This recognition is significant due to the fact that transistors and other components used in electronic devices are currently made of 3D materials; thus they hold electrons that bounce around inside the layers in all directions. “The benefit of 2D materials, which is an exciting new research field that has opened only about five years ago, is that the material is made of one layer that thickness of just one or two atoms. Consequently, the electrons can only move in one layer so it is much faster.” (“Engineering Material Magic”). While researchers have recently discovered new types of 2D materials, they have been materials that only allow the movement of negative electrons; the issue being that in order to create an electronic device, the material must allow the movement of both negative electrons and positive charges. “Now that Tiwari and his team have discovered this new 2D material, it can lead to the manufacturing of transistors that are even smaller and faster than those in use today.” (“Engineering Material Magic”).
The importance of these materials and processes is that it could aide in our technological future, therefore the entirety of our society and application toward a majority of fields. These new materials mentioned in the articles emphasizes faster and potentially smaller electronics that are able to work longer for less charge; this advancement would tremendously aid in fields where electronics are used, which is primarily most if not all. Having material that is “more energy-efficient” (“Semiconducting Graphene Nanoribbons”) and could potentially have our “[messages] being sent thousands of times faster” (Process Could Be White Lightning to Electronic Industry”), would improve our scientific, medical, and communications world wide. Finding insulators and semiconductors to assist the foundation of laptops, cell phones, and tablets would increase our everyday use productivity and efficiency toward technological progress.
Finally, the most interesting part of these articles was just how fast these improvements are occurring. Most of these were published only of last year and are tremendous breakthroughs toward our study of electrons, semiconductors, and other components of electronics. Knowing that “in two or three years we should see at least some prototype device” that includes a transistor made with semiconducting material that could lead to computers and smartphones “that are more than 100 times faster than regular devices. And because the electrons move through on layer instead of bouncing around in a 3D material, there will be less friction, meeting the processors will not get as hot as normal computer chips. They will also require much less power” (“Engineering Material Magic”). The use in electronic devices is progress vastly which will in turn lead to greater advancements in knowledge and communication.
Works Cited
"Engineering Material Magic | Lab Manager." Lab Manager. Web. 25 Feb. 2016.
"Grab Some Popcorn: Researchers Make Slow-Motion Electron Movies | Lab Manager." Lab Manager. Web. 25 Feb. 2016.
"Process Could Be White Lightning to Electronics Industry | Lab Manager." Lab Manager. Web. 25 Feb. 2016.
"Researchers Grow Nanocircuitry with Semiconducting Graphene Nanoribbons | Lab Manager." Lab Manager. Web. 25 Feb. 2016.
Hexagonal Boron Nitride, a more transparent version of graphene, is chemically inert and atomically smooth semiconductor; thus, making it useful in the foundation for the electronics in cell phones, laptops, tablets, and many other devices. The process of “standard atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition with a similar furnace, temperature and time,” is only differentiated by a “more gentle, controllable way to release the reactant into the furnace and figuring out how to take advantage of inner furnace conditions. These two factors are almost always neglected.” (“Process Could Be White Lightning to Electronics Industry”) Therefore, the primary idea is potentially having batteries, capacitors, solar cells, video screens, and fuel cells as thin as a slice of paper.
Attempting to slow down the movement of electrons to observe them and their habits has been an ultimate goal of physicists since the discovery of electrons being in the outer orbitals of an atom. Hence, when a physics group at CU-Boulder used a new ultrafast optical microscope they developed, probing and visualizing the atomic scale, and discovered a way to observe “more than a trillion image frames in the blink of an eye” (“Grab Some Popcorn”), the announcement was rather astounding. Professor Markus Raschke states, “We imaged and measured the motions of electrons in real space and time, and we were able to make it into a movie to help us better understand the fundamental physical processes.” (“Grab Some Popcorn”); emphasizing the group’s phenomenal observation. The study itself brought nanoscale microscopy to the next level, detailing the images to evolve on extremely fast time scales. Similar to the White Lightning to Electronics article, Grab Some Popcorn mentions that “this work expands the reach of optical microscope… using this technique, researchers can image the elemental processes in materials ranging from battery electrodes to solar cells, helping to improve the efficiency and lifetime… Unlike electron microscope approaches, the new technique does not require ultra-high vacuum techniques and is particularly promising to studying ultrafast processes like charge and energy transport in soft matter, including biological materials.” (“Grab Some Popcorn”) Thus, this slow-motion electron movie aides in research involving optical microscopes which in turn relate to semiconductors and electrons.
In another study, researchers managed to confirm a new way to control the growth paths of graphene nanoribbons on the surface of a germanium crystal. Therefore, this “method provides a straightforward way to make semiconducting nanoscale circuits from graphene, a form of carbon only one atom thick.” (“Semiconducting Graphene Nanoribbons”), involving the semiconductor, Germanium. The technique idea is to flow a mixture of methane, hydrogen, and argon gases into a tube furnace; since methane decomposes into carbon ator at high temperatures, it would then settle onto the germanium surface to form a uniform graphene sheet. Therefore, by adjusting the chamber’s settings, the UW team was “able to exert very precise control over the material” (“Semiconducting Graphene Nanoribbons”). Due to graphene being known for moving electrons at lightning speed across its surface without interference, it became an ideal material for “faster, more energy-efficient electronics.” (“Semiconducting Graphene Nanoribbons”). However, the ideal circumstance for the semiconductor industry is to “make circuits start and stop at will via band-gaps, as they do in computer chips. As a semimetal, graphene naturally has no band-gaps, making it a challenge for widespread industry adoption” (“Semiconducting Graphene Nanoribbons”). Accordingly, once data was gathered from the electron signatures, it allowed the creation of images of the “material’s dimensions and orientation. In addition, they were able to determine its band structure and extent to which electrons scattered throughout the material… What’s even more interesting is that these nanoribbons can be made to grow in certain directions on one side of the germanium crystal.” (“Semiconducting Graphene Nanoribbons”). Thus, while the investigations continue to focus on efforts of how exactly the self-directed graphene nanoribbons grow on the (1,0,0) face, attempting to determine if there is any unique interaction between germanium and graphene, the use in electronic devices, the semiconductor industry is primarily interested in the three faces of germanium crystal.
Similar to the nanocircuitry with semiconducting graphene nanoribbons, engineers have also discovered groundbreaking semiconducting material that could lead to much faster electronics. In fact, the Utah engineers who partook in this investigation, discovered a “new kind of 2D semiconducting material for electronics that opens the door for much speedier computers and smartphones that also consume a lot less power” (“Engineering Material Magic”). This recognition is significant due to the fact that transistors and other components used in electronic devices are currently made of 3D materials; thus they hold electrons that bounce around inside the layers in all directions. “The benefit of 2D materials, which is an exciting new research field that has opened only about five years ago, is that the material is made of one layer that thickness of just one or two atoms. Consequently, the electrons can only move in one layer so it is much faster.” (“Engineering Material Magic”). While researchers have recently discovered new types of 2D materials, they have been materials that only allow the movement of negative electrons; the issue being that in order to create an electronic device, the material must allow the movement of both negative electrons and positive charges. “Now that Tiwari and his team have discovered this new 2D material, it can lead to the manufacturing of transistors that are even smaller and faster than those in use today.” (“Engineering Material Magic”).
The importance of these materials and processes is that it could aide in our technological future, therefore the entirety of our society and application toward a majority of fields. These new materials mentioned in the articles emphasizes faster and potentially smaller electronics that are able to work longer for less charge; this advancement would tremendously aid in fields where electronics are used, which is primarily most if not all. Having material that is “more energy-efficient” (“Semiconducting Graphene Nanoribbons”) and could potentially have our “[messages] being sent thousands of times faster” (Process Could Be White Lightning to Electronic Industry”), would improve our scientific, medical, and communications world wide. Finding insulators and semiconductors to assist the foundation of laptops, cell phones, and tablets would increase our everyday use productivity and efficiency toward technological progress.
Finally, the most interesting part of these articles was just how fast these improvements are occurring. Most of these were published only of last year and are tremendous breakthroughs toward our study of electrons, semiconductors, and other components of electronics. Knowing that “in two or three years we should see at least some prototype device” that includes a transistor made with semiconducting material that could lead to computers and smartphones “that are more than 100 times faster than regular devices. And because the electrons move through on layer instead of bouncing around in a 3D material, there will be less friction, meeting the processors will not get as hot as normal computer chips. They will also require much less power” (“Engineering Material Magic”). The use in electronic devices is progress vastly which will in turn lead to greater advancements in knowledge and communication.
Works Cited
"Engineering Material Magic | Lab Manager." Lab Manager. Web. 25 Feb. 2016.
"Grab Some Popcorn: Researchers Make Slow-Motion Electron Movies | Lab Manager." Lab Manager. Web. 25 Feb. 2016.
"Process Could Be White Lightning to Electronics Industry | Lab Manager." Lab Manager. Web. 25 Feb. 2016.
"Researchers Grow Nanocircuitry with Semiconducting Graphene Nanoribbons | Lab Manager." Lab Manager. Web. 25 Feb. 2016.
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