Nanotechnology Now

• About Us
  
  • Advertising
  • Our Mission
  • Our Team
  • Comments
  • Friends
  • Contact
• Nanotechnology
• News
  
  • Current News
  • Press Releases
  • Submit Press
  • Press kit
  • Interviews
• Columns
• Products
  
  • Our Products
  • Books
  • Featured Books
• Directories
  
  • Companies/Academic
  • Events
  • Glossary
  • Best Of
• Career Center
• Nano-Social Network
• Nano Consulting
• My Account

Home > News > Engineers develop smallest device

January 18th, 2006

Engineers develop smallest device

Abstract:
An electrical engineer at The University of Texas at Austin has made a laser light blink while passing through a miniaturized silicon chip, a major step toward developing commercially viable optical interconnects for high performance computers and other devices.

Ray Chen, a professor of electrical engineering, and graduate students Wei Jiang, YongQiang Jiang and Lanlan Gu created a chip made of silicon “photonic crystals” whose complex internal structure slowed light traveling through the chip. The laser light slowed down enough that a small electric current could alter, or modulate, the pattern of light transmission.

The shortened length was possible because Chen’s laboratory designed the silicon photonic crystals that are the key component of the modulator to have large regions of regularly spaced, nanosize holes that light would have to traverse. Navigating the Swiss cheese-like regions of the crystals, called line defects, slowed the light’s passage considerably.

Source:
University of Texas at Austin

Bookmark:

Related News Press

Possible Futures

Lifeboat publishes its first book: The Lifeboat Foundation has published its first book, "The Human Race to the Future: What Could Happen -- and What to Do" May 14th, 2013

UC Santa Barbara History Professor's Book Elucidates, Celebrates ‘Visioneers' May 14th, 2013

Conceptual Nanomedical Lipofuscin Removal Strategy April 29th, 2013

The Global Desalination Market 2013-2023 April 24th, 2013

Chip Technology

Imec and GLOBALFOUNDRIES collaborate to advance high-density memory technology: STT-MRAM offers enhanced performance and scalability for embedded and standalone applications May 21st, 2013

Penn engineers' nanoantennas improve infrared sensing May 20th, 2013

UC Riverside scientists discovering new uses for tiny carbon nanotubes: Adding ionic liquid to nanotube films could build smaller gadgets, and create more cost effective 'Smart Windows' that darken in bright sun May 15th, 2013

Nanometrics Announces Upcoming Investor Events May 14th, 2013

Optical Computing

Rice unveils method for tailoring optical processors: Arranging nanoparticles in geometric patterns allows for control of light with light May 21st, 2013

Moth-Inspired Nanostructures Take the Color Out of Thin Films May 17th, 2013

UC Riverside scientists discovering new uses for tiny carbon nanotubes: Adding ionic liquid to nanotube films could build smaller gadgets, and create more cost effective 'Smart Windows' that darken in bright sun May 15th, 2013

Use of laser light yields versatile manipulation of a quantum bit May 1st, 2013

Nanoelectronics

Imec and Renesas collaborate on ultra-low power short range radios: Collaboration will develop robust wireless solutions for future electronics May 16th, 2013

Piezoelectric 'taxel' arrays convert motion to electronic signals for tactile imaging April 25th, 2013

Battery and Memory Device in One April 25th, 2013

Secret of the Crystal's Corners: New Nanowire Structure Has Potential to Increase Semiconductor Applications: University of Cincinnati research describes discovery of a new structure that is a fundamental game changer in the physics of semiconductor nanowires April 23rd, 2013

Announcements

Imec and GLOBALFOUNDRIES collaborate to advance high-density memory technology: STT-MRAM offers enhanced performance and scalability for embedded and standalone applications May 21st, 2013

International survey supports need for built-in water protection on smartphones and tablets May 21st, 2013

Rice unveils method for tailoring optical processors: Arranging nanoparticles in geometric patterns allows for control of light with light May 21st, 2013

Iran to Hold 1st Conference on Applications of Nanotechnology in Energy Industry May 21st, 2013