New Breakthroughs In Diode Technology Can Take Electronics Far Beyond Silicon

Monday, November 1, 2010 - 13:00 in Physics & Chemistry

Next-Generation Diode Asymmetric MIM diodes could lead to cheaper and faster electronic products. Oregon State University Electronic devices could get much more sophisticated with new diode technology that allows electrons to move around more quickly. Two groups of researchers are reporting advances in diode performance through new manufacturing processes - one uses a metal-insulator-metal system and another uses metamaterials to work with electromagnetic waves. The new systems could yield a new approach to electronics, researchers say. In a paper published online in the journal Advanced Materials, scientists at Oregon State University report the creation of a high-performance "metal-insulator-metal" diode, something scientists have been trying to do since the 1960s. This is important for super-fast computing, advanced displays and other technologies, because current diode systems might be nearing their limits. In conventional silicon-based electronics, the one-way flow of electrons is controlled through transistors, but the devices are limited by how quickly electrons can...

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