Silicon is a tetravalent metalloid element (atomic number 14) that forms the basis of most modern semiconductor technology and is a central topic across materials science, electronics, and solid-state physics. In crystalline form, it adopts a diamond cubic lattice, enabling precise control of its electronic band structure through doping with donors (e.g., phosphorus) or acceptors (e.g., boron) to create n- and p-type regions. Silicon’s indirect band gap, thermal stability, native oxide (SiO₂) formation, and compatibility with planar processing underpin integrated circuits, photovoltaics, and microelectromechanical systems, making it a foundational subject in research on electronic materials and device engineering.
A new electrocatalyst made of nickel (Ni), iron (Fe) and silicon (Si) that decreases the amount of energy required to synthesize H2 from water has been manufactured in a simple and cost-effective way, increasing the practicality ...
Nanomaterials
Nov 27, 2023
1
1250
True to Moore's Law, the number of transistors on a microchip has doubled every year since the 1960s. But this trajectory is predicted to soon plateau because silicon—the backbone of modern transistors—loses its electrical ...
Nanophysics
Jan 18, 2023
0
421
A pressing quest in the field of nanoelectronics is the search for a material that could replace silicon. Graphene has seemed promising for decades. But its potential has faltered along the way, due to damaging processing ...
Nanophysics
Dec 21, 2022
1
409
An international research team, led by NIMS, including Institute for Molecular Science (IMS) and Aalto University in Finland, has succeeded in synthesizing a two-dimensional silicon-integrated covalent organic framework (COF) ...
Nanomaterials
Dec 9, 2022
0
94
After a 10-year research study that started by accident and was met with skepticism, a team of Northeastern University mechanical engineers was able to synthesize highly dense, ultra-narrow silicon nanowires that could revolutionize ...
Nanophysics
Oct 7, 2022
1
510
Theoretical scientists have used topological mathematics and machine learning to identify a hidden relationship between nano-scale structures and thermal conductivity in amorphous silicon, a glassy form of the material with ...
Nanophysics
Jun 24, 2022
0
158
Researchers from Nanjing University and Beihang University in China and the Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter (MPSD) in Hamburg, Germany, have produced a new class of exciton with hybrid dimensionality ...
Nanophysics
Jun 20, 2022
1
174
Scientists have demonstrated a new material that conducts heat 150% more efficiently than conventional materials used in advanced chip technologies.
Nanophysics
May 17, 2022
0
334
In a new publication from Opto-Electronic Advances, researchers from South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China, discuss silicon cuboid nanoantenna with simultaneous large Purcell factor for electric dipole, magnetic ...
Nanomaterials
Mar 21, 2022
0
127
A University of Melbourne-led team has perfected a technique for embedding single atoms in a silicon wafer one-by-one. Their technology offers the potential to make quantum computers using the same methods that have given ...
Nanophysics
Jan 12, 2022
0
1594
