News
5
minutes reading time
9 Apr 2020
Eindhoven researchers present revolutionary light-emitting silicon: big step forward in production of photonic chips
That photonic chips have considerable advantages over electronic chips was already well known. Data transfer can take place faster and more cheaply and, moreover, without the heat production that large data centers now suffer from. Until now, however, this could not be done using silicon (sand) as a raw material; the much more expensive and rare gallium arsenide and indium phosphide had to be used for it. However, researchers at the Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) have now discovered a way to still emit light with silicon. It’s a breakthrough after 50 years of research.
