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Purdue University
Nanowires could be the key to the transistors of tomorrow
17:09 November 29, 2009 PST
Researchers agree that chip manufacturers will soon reach a hard limit in terms of transistor miniaturization, disproving rule-of-thumb predictions that transistor density roughly doubles every 18 to 24 months. But a collaboration between IBM, Purdue University and the University of California in Los Angeles may have found a way to squeeze more transistor in the same area by building them vertically rather than horizontally. Read More
Researchers push miniaturization even further with finFET transistors
19:29 November 17, 2009 PST
Researchers at Purdue University have reported important progress in developing finFETs, a type of transistor that some say will eventually substitute the silicon-based kind because it allows engineers to push miniaturization even further in the perpetual effort to validate the predictions of Moore's Law. Read More
What, exactly, makes a rocket fuel environmentally friendly?
By Darren Quick
22:52 October 7, 2009 PDT
Automobiles aren’t the only vehicles turning to more environmentally friendly fuel sources. As we reported recently, NASA are testing a new type of rocket propellant made of a mixture of water and “nanoscale aluminum” powder they claim could provide a cleaner way to launch rockets, power long-distance space missions and generate hydrogen for fuel cells. A number of readers wondered, not unreasonably, what qualifies a rocket fuel as eco-friendly. We now have a few more answers. Read More
Better control over nanotube growth promises important advances in electronics
02:12 October 3, 2009 PDT
Researchers at the Honda Research Institute, Purdue University and the University of Louisville have discovered a way to systematically grow carbon nanotubes with either metallic or semiconducting properties, solving a long-standing problem in nanotechnology research and paving the way for the widespread use of nanotubes in electronics. Read More
Keeping hybrids cool under the bonnet reaches boiling point
By Jeff Salton
23:50 September 23, 2009 PDT
As an increasing number of hybrid-powered vehicles move from concept to completion, technology is battling to keep pace with some of the less-publicized technical challenges found among the complex electronics aboard these land- and air-based vehicles, computers and other devices. For instance, how do you effectively cool the electronics in a high-power electric motor that propels a passenger car from 0-60mph in under 10 seconds and uses regenerative braking to stop? Researchers in the U.S. believe the secret may lie in understanding precisely how fluid boils in tiny ‘microchannels’, which has led them to develop formulas and models that will help engineers design unique systems to cool high-power electronics found in today’s and tomorrow’s devices. Read More
Tiny lasers hold key to nano-circuitry
18:31 August 23, 2009 PDT
Researchers at Cornell, Purdue and Norfolk State University have reported the successful creation of a 'spaser', a new kind of nanoscale laser that breaks dimensional limits previously thought to be insurmountable, leading the way to significantly faster and more efficient computer processing and data transfer rates. Read More
Extending Moore’s Law using nuclear fusion
By Darren Quick
22:22 August 20, 2009 PDT
We recently looked at a technique that could help extend Moore’s Law by using DNA molecules as scaffolding to pack more power and speed into computer chips. Now researchers from Purdue University and the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory are working to achieve the same result by adapting the same methods used in fusion-energy research to create extremely thin plasma beams for a new class of 'nanolithography'. Read More
Defeating oil stains with water
18:13 August 19, 2009 PDT
While it’s true that water and oil don’t mix, water may soon be all a person needs to completely remove any trace of an oil spill - provided the surfaces are coated with newly designed polymer materials that would do away with harsh chemical detergents and solvents. And if you have ever been inconvenienced by fog on your bathroom window, car windshield, or eyeglasses, the same materials can be used as an anti-fog agent with similar eco-friendly benefits. Read More
Tiny MEMS devices to filter, amplify electronic signals
By Jeff Salton
18:42 August 13, 2009 PDT
Researchers are developing a new class of tiny mechanical devices, made up of vibrating structures the thickness of a human hair, that could be used to filter electronic signals in cell phones and other applications. Only the size of a grain of sand, these microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) will, nonetheless, improve performance and reduce power usage. Read More
dariusvons
- February 10, 2010 @ 00:56 UTC
