Research

Researchers at Ritsumeikan University have made an organic conductor that can be solution proceesed. “The study therefore paves the way for solution-processed conductive materials, which could potentially lead to next-generation organic semiconductors,” according to the University. “Furthermore, the researchers will focus on refining molecular designs to optimise charge transport properties and explore applications in electronic circuits, sensors and energy storage.” ...

Sensors from Swiss company Sensirion are off to space this month aboard an experiment called Wobble2. The second Weightless Observation of Behavior with Berlin Liquid Guidance Experiment, it is due to leave the surface of Earth for a short while on a sounding rocket. Its purpose is an attempt to improve fuel delivery from tanks in weightless conditions by making ...

Researchers from ETH Zurich and its spin-out company Polaritron have created a moduator for infra-red that works up to 1.1THz. It is a modulator with two gold electrodes on a substrate facing each other across 10nm wide slot 10µm long (see artists impression). Inside the slot is a substance only described as a ‘non-linear organic electro-optic material’, and at opposite ...

En-route to nuclear clocks, researchers have found a resonant mode in thorium atom nuclei with a low temperature coefficient – nuclear oscillators are mooted initially as replacements for atomic oscillators in national-level frequency standards. The work has been done at JILA – a joint venture laboratory of NIST and the University of Colorado Boulder – and the Technical University of ...

ASML and imec have signed a new strategic partnership agreement, focusing on research and sustainability. The agreement has a duration of five years and aims to deliver valuable solutions in two areas by bringing together ASML’s and imec’s respective knowledge and expertise. First, to develop solutions that advance the semiconductor industry and second, to develop initiatives focused on sustainable innovation. ...

The European Space Agency (ESA) is funding £10 million for new facilities at the UK Astronomy Technology Centre (ATC), the research institute in Edinburgh. Specifically, new lab spaces will be built to assemble optical benches. These are for the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) mission, investigating gravitational waves in space. The investment will approximately double UK ATC’s construction capabilities. Optical ...

Swansea University’s Centre for Integrative Semiconductor Materials (CISM) is joining the EU-backed SAFEPOWER power efficiency project as a partner. MVDC The project aims to improve energy systems by creating small, eco-friendly Medium-Voltage Direct Current (MVDC) converters. These are used in applications such as offshore wind and solar farms, electric vehicle charging, and HPC (high performance computing) data centres. According to ...

Built with £250,000 of investment, Glasgow University has opened a state-of-the-art magnetism lab for medical magnetics research. Part of the James Watt School of Engineering, the facility is designed to eliminate magnetic interference from any external sources. For example, nearby electronics and even the Earth’s magnetic field. And the MuRoom within the lab will enable researchers to detect extremely weak ...

Belgian research lab Imec has revealed test results from 20nm pitch metal lines patterned using a single-exposure of high NA (numerical aperture) EUV lithography. Top-down SEM pictures of 20nm pitch meanders after pattern transfer into TiN hard mask Metal oxide negative tone resist was used, and yield was over 90%. “This is the first ever electrical yield demonstration of 20nm ...

A team of Caltech engineers has developed an ink-jet-printable bio-sensor for skin using designer nano-particles. “Wearable biosensors that incorporate the nano-particles have been used to monitor metabolites in patients suffering from long covid, and the levels of chemotherapy drugs in cancer patients,” according to the university. “These sensors could be used to monitor a variety of biomarkers, such as vitamins, ...