Posted on 05/02/2003 12:46:38 PM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach
IBM Creation Could Boost Optical Networking
Researchers say they've created the world's smallest solid-state light emitter, which could have applications in ultra-fast optical networks
By InformationWeek
May 1, 2003 (08:15)
URL: http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=9400288
Researchers at IBM announced on Thursday that they have created the world's smallest solid-state light emitter, an advance that could have significant applications for optical networking.
By configuring a carbon nanotube into a transistor, scientists are able to apply a negative charge to one end and a positive charge to the other. When the opposing charges meet, they neutralize each other and generate light. Because it's a transistor, the device can be easily turned off and on, making it ideal for use in optoelectronics. The device, 50,000 times thinner than a human hair, could have applications in ultra-small, ultra-fast optical networks.
A report on the research appears in the May 2nd issue of the journal "Science."
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