In sci.physics habshi hi@anony wrote:
Imagine if they could make solar cells this way.

The speed of a solar cell is irrelevant, as is everything you post.

snip remaining

--
Jim Pennino

Remove .spam.sux to reply.

habshi wrote:
Imagine if they could make solar cells this way.

That would extremely stupid. Since solar cellls
get their maximum efficiency at zero hz,
Which is where the name Solar Sell comes from,
since they're not Phone cells.




Speedy silicon sets world record

Modern circuits contain millions of transistors
A simple tweak to the way common silicon transistors are made could
allow faster, cheaper mobile phones and digital cameras, say UK
researchers.
Devices with the modification have already set a new world record for
the fastest transistor of its type.

To achieve the speed gain, researchers at the University of
Southampton added fluorine to the silicon devices.

The technique uses existing silicon manufacturing technology meaning
it should be quick and easy to deploy.

"It just takes a standard technology and adds one extra step," said
Professor Peter Ashburn at the University of Southampton, who carried
out the work. "This is a really cheap method."

Silicon sandwich

The research was carried out using a simple type of transistor known
as a silicon bipolar transistor.

Transistors are the tiny building blocks of most microchips and
millions are found in desktop computers, mobile phones and MP3
players.

It's atomic engineering really, even smaller than nanotechnology

It's composite engineering really.
Since Bipolar transitors, are themsleves composite engineering.


Professor Peter Ashburn

They are used to regulate electronic currents in microchips, and
depending on the type may be used to amplify a signal or open and
close a circuit.

Combinations of transistors can be used to do calculations or useful
computational work.

Bipolar transistors are made of three layers of semi-conducting
material arranged in a sandwich structure, with two layers of one
material with a filling of a different sort.

A thinner filling in the transistor means electrons can flow through
the device more quickly, increasing the overall speed of a circuit or
chip.

Alternative approaches for building fast transistors exist but they
use other materials, such as gallium arsenide or a silicon germanium
mix, which require more expensive manufacturing techniques.

The silicon industry would like to continue to squeeze greater speeds
out of smaller chip using existing manufacturing processes which are
cheap and reliable.

The work from the University of Southampton offers one solution.

Atomic scales

Professor Ashburn and colleagues at STC Microelectronics used a simple
transistor made of silicon with a boron filling for the research.

To make transistors of this type requires high temperature
manufacturing processes which cause the boron layer to diffuse,
creating a thicker and hence slower layer.


The new chips could be used in mobile phones

To get round this problem, the researchers added fluorine implants to
the silicon layers using a common manufacturing process, known as ion
implantation.

Ion implantation involves firing atoms of one element, in this case
fluorine, at a target of silicon.

At an atomic level, the fluorine creates small clusters of vacancies,
areas of missing silicon atoms. These voids suppress boron diffusion,
creating a thinner layer and therefore speeding up the transistor.

"It's atomic engineering really, even smaller than nanotechnology,"
said Professor Ashburn.

World record

When the researchers tested the new device it clocked a speed of 110
GHz.

Complete circuits usually operate at about a tenth of the speed of the
component transistors meaning the new devices could allow engineers to
build chips that operate at a speed of about 11GHz.

There's no Guinness Record for this but it is the fastest in the
published literature

Professor Ashburn

The previous world record, held by electronic giant Philips, created
transistors that operate at speeds of up to 70GHz, allowing operating
circuit speeds of 7GHz.

"There's no Guinness Record for this but it is the fastest in the
published literature," said Prof Ashburn.

At present, mobile phone circuits operate at speeds of about 1GHz.

Imagine if they could make solar cells this way.


Speedy silicon sets world record

Modern circuits contain millions of transistors
A simple tweak to the way common silicon transistors are made could
allow faster, cheaper mobile phones and digital cameras, say UK
researchers.
Devices with the modification have already set a new world record for
the fastest transistor of its type.

To achieve the speed gain, researchers at the University of
Southampton added fluorine to the silicon devices.

The technique uses existing silicon manufacturing technology meaning
it should be quick and easy to deploy.

"It just takes a standard technology and adds one extra step," said
Professor Peter Ashburn at the University of Southampton, who carried
out the work. "This is a really cheap method."

Silicon sandwich

The research was carried out using a simple type of transistor known
as a silicon bipolar transistor.

Transistors are the tiny building blocks of most microchips and
millions are found in desktop computers, mobile phones and MP3
players.

It's atomic engineering really, even smaller than nanotechnology

Professor Peter Ashburn

They are used to regulate electronic currents in microchips, and
depending on the type may be used to amplify a signal or open and
close a circuit.

Combinations of transistors can be used to do calculations or useful
computational work.

Bipolar transistors are made of three layers of semi-conducting
material arranged in a sandwich structure, with two layers of one
material with a filling of a different sort.

A thinner filling in the transistor means electrons can flow through
the device more quickly, increasing the overall speed of a circuit or
chip.

Alternative approaches for building fast transistors exist but they
use other materials, such as gallium arsenide or a silicon germanium
mix, which require more expensive manufacturing techniques.

The silicon industry would like to continue to squeeze greater speeds
out of smaller chip using existing manufacturing processes which are
cheap and reliable.

The work from the University of Southampton offers one solution.

Atomic scales

Professor Ashburn and colleagues at STC Microelectronics used a simple
transistor made of silicon with a boron filling for the research.

To make transistors of this type requires high temperature
manufacturing processes which cause the boron layer to diffuse,
creating a thicker and hence slower layer.


The new chips could be used in mobile phones

To get round this problem, the researchers added fluorine implants to
the silicon layers using a common manufacturing process, known as ion
implantation.

Ion implantation involves firing atoms of one element, in this case
fluorine, at a target of silicon.

At an atomic level, the fluorine creates small clusters of vacancies,
areas of missing silicon atoms. These voids suppress boron diffusion,
creating a thinner layer and therefore speeding up the transistor.

"It's atomic engineering really, even smaller than nanotechnology,"
said Professor Ashburn.

World record

When the researchers tested the new device it clocked a speed of 110
GHz.

Complete circuits usually operate at about a tenth of the speed of the
component transistors meaning the new devices could allow engineers to
build chips that operate at a speed of about 11GHz.

There's no Guinness Record for this but it is the fastest in the
published literature

Professor Ashburn

The previous world record, held by electronic giant Philips, created
transistors that operate at speeds of up to 70GHz, allowing operating
circuit speeds of 7GHz.

"There's no Guinness Record for this but it is the fastest in the
published literature," said Prof Ashburn.

At present, mobile phone circuits operate at speeds of about 1GHz.