Smallest-Ever Nanotube Transistors Outperform Silicon
A nine-nanometer device shows that nanotubes could be a viable alternative to silicon as electronics get even tinier.The smallest carbon-nanotube transistor ever made, a nine-nanometer device, performs...
View ArticleCheaper LED Lightbulbs Are on the Way
Silicon backing should make high-efficiency lighting more affordable.Cost has been a major barrier in keeping people from buying energy-efficient LED lightbulbs. While they last much longer than $1...
View ArticleThe Dog Days of Solar
It’s not enough to have compelling technology—small solar companies need a solid business model, rich partners, and manufacturing know-how.The solar industry has done a spectacular job lowering costs...
View ArticleWhy IBM Made a Liquid Transistor
IBM materials advance shows another promising path to replace the foundation of today’s computing technologies.Researchers at IBM last week unveiled an experimental new way to store information or...
View ArticleFirst Solar Shines as the Solar Industry Falters
First Solar’s strong finances are helping fund innovation and drive down the cost of solar power.Innovation in solar cell technology has slowed as startups struggle to get a foothold in a tough market...
View ArticleWhat Tech Is Next for the Solar Industry?
Solar manufacturers are eager to implement several new technologies that could make solar power cheaper, and the panels easier to make.Solar panel installations continue to grow quickly, but the solar...
View ArticleA Solar Survivor Has High Hopes
By making silicon wafers cheaper, 1366 hopes to ride the next boom in solar power.If you believe Frank van Mierlo, CEO of 1366 Technologies, one reason his company survived when so many other solar...
View ArticleStartup Gets $30 Million to Bring High-Energy Silicon Batteries to Market
Amprius’s silicon-based batteries are starting to appear in electronics.Amprius, a startup working on a new type of long-lasting lithium-ion batteries for laptops and electric vehicles, has started to...
View ArticleA Cheap Material Boosts Solar Cells by 50 Percent
Researchers have found a way to augment ordinary silicon solar cells with a material called a perovskite.Putting a new kind of photovoltaic material on top of a conventional solar cell can boost...
View ArticleAtom-Thick Silicon Makes Crazy-Fast Transistors
An exotic form of silicon, called silicene, could enable a new generation of faster computers.An exotic but tricky-to-use new form of silicon is being eyed as a way to build much faster computer chips....
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