Physicists have developed a groundbreaking technique using high-resolution microscopy and ultrafast lasers to precisely identify defects in semiconductors.
This new method, particularly effective in nanoscale components, enables unprecedented detail in observing electron movement around atomic defects, significantly advancing the field of semiconductor physics and promising new possibilities for materials like graphene.
One of the challenges of cramming smarter and more powerful electronics into ever-shrinking devices is developing the tools and techniques to analyze the materials that make them up with increasingly intimate precision.
Physicists at Michigan State University have taken a long-awaited step on that front with an approach that combines high-resolution microscopy with ultrafast lasers.
The technique, described in the journal Nature Photonics, enables researchers to spot misfit atoms in semiconductors with unparalleled precision. Semiconductor physics labels these atoms as “defects,” which sounds negative, but they’re usually added to materials on purpose and are critically important to the performance of semiconductors in today’s — and tomorrow’s — devices.
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