Scientific Achievement: An unprecedented discovery has been made in the world of science which has given a new direction to future technology. Scientists from French research organization CNRS have created a special material made of layers of oxide materials, which will be able to operate devices at the speed of artificial light instead of electricity. This discovery will not only reduce energy consumption, but will also pave the way for the development of extremely high-speed technical devices.
Scientists said that when artificial light is shone on this substance, it forms Electron Gas, the same gas which is usually seen in LED screens. Till now these gases could be controlled only through electrical signals, but for the first time scientists have succeeded in controlling them only through light. As soon as the light is turned off, this electron gas instantly disappears, making the system extremely sensitive and precisely controlled.
This discovery is based on a wonderful combination of Optics and Electronics. Experts say that this technology will see major changes in fields like spintronics, quantum computing and ultra-fast electronics in the future. Scientists believe that if the devices are controlled with light instead of electricity, they will not only work many times faster but the energy consumption will also be very less.
Researchers say that if transistors were powered by light instead of electricity, about one-third of the electrical connections on a microchip would be eliminated. This means that approximately one billion connections can be saved in just one computer processor. With this, the speed of computers, laptops and mobile phones will increase manifold, while power consumption will reduce.
With this discovery, new technologies can be developed by combining Photonics and Electronics. According to scientists, this will create extremely sensitive light sensors, which can generate a million times more current than in the dark at the same voltage. This will increase the capacity of cameras, medical scanners, satellites and security equipment manifold.
This achievement is the result of precise experiments conducted at the atomic level. Scientists controlled the structure of atoms between two layers of oxide and studied the movement of electrons when light was incident on them. Also, their behavior was understood in depth through theoretical calculations. As this technology evolves in the future, it will not only bring an era of faster processors and internet speeds, but will also usher in a new era of energy-efficient and sustainable devices.
