‘Kink state’ control may provide pathway to quantum electronics
Researchers develop a robust quantum highway with switch to control electron movement
By Ashley WennersHerron
Q&A: How can advanced chip packaging help redesign the future of semiconductors?
Researchers explain how chip architecture and Penn State-led initiatives can help jump-start U.S. chip manufacturing
By Tim Schley
The phrase “advanced chip packaging” might conjure images of a fancy Pringles can. For those who manufacture semiconductors — also known as integrated circuits, chips or microchips — it represents a new frontier, a race to design and mass produce the next generation of semiconductors that use less energy while delivering more computing power.
‘Surprising’ hidden activity of semiconductor material spotted by researchers
By Jamie Oberdick
New research suggests that materials commonly overlooked in computer chip design actually play an important role in information processing, a discovery which could lead to faster and more efficient electronics. Using advanced imaging techniques, an international team led by Penn State researchers found that the material that a semiconductor chip device is built on, called the substrate, responds to changes in electricity much like the semiconductor on top of it.
Silicon Carbide Innovation Alliance to drive industrial-scale semiconductor work
By Jamie Oberdick
Known for its ability to withstand extreme environments and high voltages, silicon carbide (SiC) is a semiconducting material made up of silicon and carbon atoms arranged into crystals that is increasingly becoming essential to modern technologies like electric vehicles, renewable energy systems, telecommunications infrastructure and microelectronics.
Can AI crave a favorite food?
By Jamie Oberdick
'Electronic tongue' holds promise as possible first step to artificial emotional intelligence
Can artificial intelligence (AI) get hungry? Develop a taste for certain foods? Not yet, but a team of Penn State researchers is developing a novel electronic tongue that mimics how taste influences what we eat based on both needs and wants, providing a possible blueprint for AI that processes information more like a human being.
Zentropy and the art of creating new ferroelectric materials
By Jamie Oberdick
Systems in the Universe trend toward disorder, with only applied energy keeping the chaos at bay. The concept is called entropy, and examples can be found everywhere: ice melting, campfire burning, water boiling. Zentropy theory, however, adds another level to the mix.
Stretchy integrated electronics may be possible with sandwiched semiconductor
By Ashley WennersHerron
There’s a barrier preventing the advent of truly elastic electronic systems, the kind needed for advanced human-machine interfaces, artificial skins, smart health care and more, but a Penn State-led research team may have found a way to stretch around it.
Solution found to problem bedeviling semiconductor researchers
By Jamie Oberdick
Researchers from the National Science Foundation-sponsored Two-Dimensional Crystal Consortium (2DCC-MIP) - Materials Innovation Platform may have come up with a solution for a bottleneck that has confounded researchers trying to develop high-quality 2D semiconductors for next generation electronics such as Internet of Things (IoT) and artificial intelligence.
'Highly perfect': Meeting the challenge of making 2D semiconductor materials
By Jamie Oberdick
Two-dimensional materials are vital for the type of semiconductors that will push the future of electronic devices and energy-efficient lighting, but they are a challenge to make. They must have very few defects, difficult given their very small, nano-level size.
A Semiconductor That Could Alleviate Computing's Climate Problem
While a lot of the focus on fighting climate change lands on things like gasoline vehicles and factory emissions, computers gobble up plenty of carbon-based energy on their own.