Son Goku
No lover of dogma
- Joined
- 14 Jun 2004
- Messages
- 1,980
Well sort of...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3598836.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3598836.stm
A replacement for silicon in electronic devices has come a step closer, the Nature journal reports.
Silicon chips can malfunction at high temperatures, often from heat generated by their own circuitry.
But experts have now overcome the flaws that plague crystals of silicon carbide, a hard compound that is more resistant to heat than silicon.
The material could now fulfil its potential as a replacement for silicon, say Japanese researchers.
Silicon carbide (SiC) could be used to make electronic devices that can operate at high power, in fierce heat or at lethal doses of radiation.
If the breakthrough can be carried forward commercially, it could spawn a wide range of improved devices, including electronics that work in red-hot jet engines, better wireless communications and radar, as well as improving smart devices that optimize performance in cars.
..."The [layering] process is a major innovation in materials science. Silicon carbide has become, at last, a contender for silicon's crown."
Previous research has already shown that even at red-hot temperatures as high as 650C (1,202F), silicon carbide devices can function unperturbed and without the need for cooling.