Electronics engineers are continuously trying to develop thinner, more efficient and better performing transistors, the semiconductor devices at the core of most modern electronics. To do this, they have been evaluating the potential of a broad range of materials.
Engineering
A strategy to monitor spin-orbit torque switching and exchange bias over time
Magnetic random access memories (MRAMs), are among the most promising next-generation memory technologies. Their primary advantages over conventional computer memories and other emerging memory designs include their potential to achieve remarkably high speeds and...
A gyroscope-free system to efficiently control the flight of insect-size robots
Light-weight and flying robots the size of small insects could have highly valuable real-world applications, for instance supporting search & rescue missions, inspections of hazardous sites, and even space exploration.
A transformable robot with an omnidirectional wheel-leg
Researchers at Worcester Polytechnic Institute recently created OmniWheg, a robotic system that can adapt its configuration while navigating its surrounding environment, seamlessly changing from a wheeled to a legged robot. This robot, introduced in an IEEE IROS 2022...
New acoustic resonators based on commercial field effect transistors
A key objective of electronics engineering studies focusing on radio communication is the development of increasingly smaller, lighter, and low-power radio components. This could be achieved by integrating all radio components into a single chip, for instance by...
A high-speed sequential deposition strategy to fabricate photoactive layers for organic cells
Organic photovoltaics, solar energy devices based on organic semiconductors, have so far achieved very promising results in experimental settings, both in terms of efficiency and stability. However, engineers have not yet devised reliable strategies to fabricate these...
An automated system to clean restrooms in convenience stores
Researchers at Tokyo Metropolitan University have created a robotic system that could automate the cleaning of restrooms in convenience stores and other public spaces. This system, introduced in a paper published in Advanced Robotics, will be competing in the...
A new method to control the spin current and moment rotation in antiferromagnetic insulators
Antiferromagnetic materials, materials in which atoms are arranged so that all neighboring atoms are anti-parallel (i.e., pointing in the opposite direction) to them, can have several advantageous properties for the development of devices. Due to their fast spin...
A strategy to create more efficient narrow bandgap (NBG) perovskite films for tandem solar cells
All-perovskite tandem solar cells, solar cells comprised of stacked wide-bandgap (WBG) and narrow-bandgap (NBG) perovskites, could be particularly promising energy solutions. Compared to other existing photovoltaic systems, these cells could achieve good...
A strategy to improve perovskite absorbers for all-perovskite tandem solar cells
Tandem solar cells (TSCs), stacks of p-n junctions based on semiconductors with different bandgaps, are a highly promising energy solution that could help to reduce carbon emissions. Perovskites, earth-abundant materials with a tunable bandgap, high charge-carrier...