Light-Producing Nanotubes Could Mean Faster Chips 181
CannibalBob writes "From PCWorld: Researchers at IBM have used carbon molecules to emit light, a breakthrough that could replace silicon as the foundation of chips and lead to faster computers and telecommunication equipment. This is the first time light has ever been generated from a molecule by applying electricity. Read the article."
First time? (Score:4, Interesting)
Stability (Score:3, Interesting)
Nanotube display? (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:First Time... (Score:1, Interesting)
A classmate of mine managed to get an ordinary transistor to generate light. The case drew blood, where it hit his forehead. Yes, it was a very brief flash.
Someone else already pointed out that getting light out of a single molecule really is new. Unless you count burning Buckyballs.
Re:Mass Production (Score:3, Interesting)
The first semiconductor transistor (the point-contact transistor) was produced in 1947. The junction field-effect transistor was invented a few weeks later, and the first working prototype was produced in 1949. By 1958 integrated circuits were being made with them.
Maybe as a corollary? (Score:3, Interesting)
I'm sure several orders of magnitude more of these nanotubes would fit in the space of a solar cell.
Stephenson's aerostats just might work.
Perhaps someone with a background could answer.
- OrbNobz
I don't care about the answer, the nano-machine operating my fingers is asking.
Could another electrical engineer tell me if... (Score:1, Interesting)
Re:How to use for computers? (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Maybe as a corollary? (Score:2, Interesting)
Nope, they explode [slashdot.org]
Re:Nanotube display? (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:First Time... (Score:3, Interesting)
IIRC, one of the more recent topics in modern biochemistry/biophysics is isolating DNA 'molecules' (about the same size as some of the carbon tubes) and exciting them in different ways. Different ways that include photon and electron scattering (or 'passing electricity').
I'm not too sure on the results, and was too lazy to find the correct terms through google, but i know that single molecule systems have been seen to produce light through electron scattering.
Isn't it felicitous... (Score:5, Interesting)
Thinking about it, would it not be feasible to make them emit harmonics (375nm blue, anyone?) for use in optical storage too?
I'm just a dumb old maths guy, not a physicist, but surely someone can enlighten us?
Another application: Nano optocouplers? (Score:4, Interesting)
I wonder if they could use these "lighted" carbon nanotubes to put an optocoupler directly on the IGBT of the dimmer...that, as my coworkers would say, would be "freakin' awesome"!
nanoprinting? (Score:2, Interesting)
-- Dossy
Re:First Time... (Score:3, Interesting)
Dr. Wilson Ho [uci.edu] has been doing this for a while at UCI with individual atoms.
You really should check that out. It's hard to believe, but true.