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CASTECH INC - New Building the Bridge of Light

First Excitonic ICs Built

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SAN DIEGO, June 24, 2008 -- Physicists have assembled the first integrated circuits (ICs) that use excitons -- particles that emit a flash of light as they decay -- instead of electrons to ferry signals. These exciton-based transistors could be used in a new kind of computer that bridges the gap between computing and communications. Integrated circuits, assemblies of transistors that are the building blocks for all electronic devices, currently use electrons to carry the signals needed for computation. But almost all communications devices use light, or photons, to send signals. The need to convert the signalling...Read full article

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    Published: June 2008
    Glossary
    electron
    A charged elementary particle of an atom; the term is most commonly used in reference to the negatively charged particle called a negatron. Its mass at rest is me = 9.109558 x 10-31 kg, its charge is 1.6021917 x 10-19 C, and its spin quantum number is 1/2. Its positive counterpart is called a positron, and possesses the same characteristics, except for the reversal of the charge.
    exciton
    An exciton is a quasiparticle that represents the bound state of an electron and a hole in a solid-state material, typically a semiconductor or an insulator. In simpler terms, an exciton is a paired electron and hole created when an electron absorbs a photon and is promoted to a higher energy state, leaving behind an empty state called a hole. Key characteristics of excitons include: Formation: Excitons are formed when an electron in the valence band of a material is excited to the...
    light
    Electromagnetic radiation detectable by the eye, ranging in wavelength from about 400 to 750 nm. In photonic applications light can be considered to cover the nonvisible portion of the spectrum which includes the ultraviolet and the infrared.
    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.
    optical
    Pertaining to optics and the phenomena of light.
    photon
    A quantum of electromagnetic energy of a single mode; i.e., a single wavelength, direction and polarization. As a unit of energy, each photon equals hn, h being Planck's constant and n, the frequency of the propagating electromagnetic wave. The momentum of the photon in the direction of propagation is hn/c, c being the speed of light.
    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...
    transistor
    An electronic device consisting of a semiconductor material, generally germanium or silicon, and used for rectification, amplification and switching. Its mode of operation utilizes transmission across the junction of the donor electrons and holes.
    Communicationscomputingelectronexcitongallium arsenideICintegrated circuitsLeonid ButovlightnanoNews & Featuresopticalphotonphotonicsquantum wellssemiconductorstransistorUCSBUCSD

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