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Hamamatsu Corp. - Earth Innovations LB 2/24

Qdot Breakthrough Could Mean Cheaper Solar Panels

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HOUSTON, May 7, 2007 -- A new method for producing quantum dots -- molecular specks of semiconductors -- could clear the way for the material to create better, cheaper solar panels than conventional ones made with silicon. The research, by scientists at Rice University's Center for Biological and Environmental Nanotechnology (CBEN), describes a breakthrough chemical method for making four-legged cadmium selenide quantum dots, which previous studies have shown to be particularly effective at converting sunlight into electrical energy. Research by Michael Wong and scientists at Rice University has revealed a...Read full article

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    Published: May 2007
    Glossary
    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.
    photonics
    The technology of generating and harnessing light and other forms of radiant energy whose quantum unit is the photon. The science includes light emission, transmission, deflection, amplification and detection by optical components and instruments, lasers and other light sources, fiber optics, electro-optical instrumentation, related hardware and electronics, and sophisticated systems. The range of applications of photonics extends from energy generation to detection to communications and...
    quantum dots
    A quantum dot is a nanoscale semiconductor structure, typically composed of materials like cadmium selenide or indium arsenide, that exhibits unique quantum mechanical properties. These properties arise from the confinement of electrons within the dot, leading to discrete energy levels, or "quantization" of energy, similar to the behavior of individual atoms or molecules. Quantum dots have a size on the order of a few nanometers and can emit or absorb photons (light) with precise wavelengths,...
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