Materials - Tougher Chips on the Menu

Date: 25 August, 2004
Time: 11:00-12:00
Room: Folkets Hus, room number 307

EMBARGO:
1800 London Time (BST) / 1300 US Eastern time Wednesday 25 August
0200 Japanese Time / 0300 Australian Eastern time Thursday 26 August
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Materials: Tougher chips on the menu
A new technique to develop electronics for extreme environments and high-power applications is reported in Nature on 26 August. Silicon carbide (SiC) has the potential to replace silicon as the material used for a range of devices, but until now has proved tricky to produce without defects that interfere with its reliability.

This new research has implications for the development of a wide range of improved devices, ranging from electronics that work in red-hot jet engines and which could lead to lighter spacecraft, to significantly improved wireless communications and radar. It could even improve the smart devices that optimize performance in your car.

Erik Janzén, of the Department of Physics at Linkoping University and an expert in the field, will discuss the new methods revealed in the Nature paper at a press briefing at the European Open Science Forum 2004 in Stockholm.

Please note Erik Janzen is not the author of the research to be reported in Nature on 26 August.

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