Search
Menu
PI Physik Instrumente - Revolution In Photonics Align LW LB 3/24

Tiny Glass Slivers Conduct Current

Facebook X LinkedIn Email
ANN ARBOR, Mich., June 2, 2010 — Tiny glass slivers made by a laser have been found to conduct electrical currents nondestructively. In the macroscale world, materials called conductors effectively transmit electricity and materials called insulators or dielectrics don't, unless they are jolted with an extremely high voltage. Under such "dielectric breakdown" circumstances, as when a bolt of lightening hits a rooftop, the dielectric (the rooftop in this example) suffers irreversible damage. At the nanoscale glass can become conductive to power micro and nanoscale technology, such as the pump depicted here. The...Read full article

Related content from Photonics Media



    Articles


    Products


    Photonics Handbook Articles


    White Papers


    Webinars


    Photonics Dictionary Terms


    Media


    Photonics Buyers' Guide Categories


    Companies
    Published: June 2010
    Glossary
    lab-on-a-chip
    A lab-on-a-chip (LOC) is a miniaturized device that integrates various laboratory functions and capabilities onto a single, compact chip. Also known as microfluidic devices, lab-on-a-chip systems are designed to perform a variety of tasks traditionally carried out in conventional laboratories, but on a much smaller scale. These devices use microfabrication techniques to create channels, chambers, and other structures that facilitate the manipulation of fluids, samples, and reactions at the...
    nano
    An SI prefix meaning one billionth (10-9). Nano can also be used to indicate the study of atoms, molecules and other structures and particles on the nanometer scale. Nano-optics (also referred to as nanophotonics), for example, is the study of how light and light-matter interactions behave on the nanometer scale. See nanophotonics.
    Alan HuntAmericasdielectric breakdownelectic currentfemotsecond laserglass electrodesglass sliversinsulatorlab-on-a-chipLight SourcesMicrofluidic devicesnanonanofluidicnanoscaleNational Institutes of HealthResearch & Technologyultrafast optical scienceUniversity of MichiganLasers

    We use cookies to improve user experience and analyze our website traffic as stated in our Privacy Policy. By using this website, you agree to the use of cookies unless you have disabled them.