Another Silicon Revolution?Faster computers are something that all of us would like
both at home and in the workplace. Even our most up to date computer hardware uses copper wiring for
the transfer of information. One big problem with this is that as the copper wires heat up the
information transfer slows down. Faster
Computers in 5 Years? Physicists and engineers at the University of
Pennsylvania now believe that they have made a discovery that in as little as 5 years from now could
mean a big improvement in the speed that computers run. Using ‘Electronic Spin’ Spintronic /
photonic computing uses the transfer of information by light - also known as electronic spin. At sub
atomic particle level this ‘spin’ property has an effect on the order of the components of
molecules. Scientists have discovered that silicon (a symmetrical crystal)
can have its geometry changed by cutting it in a different direction so that it has ‘chiral’
properties. This means that its own mirror image cannot be superimposed onto it, and this in turn
means that the altered silicon can be made into detectors of the spin of light. This ability to
detect the spin will allow more information to be transmitted using silicon rather than copper. The
end result should mean faster and more consistent operating
computers. Only Certain Components
First The science however is still at the stage where building a
whole computer this way is a little way off. The complexity and costs of a fully spintronic /
photonic computer would be prohibitive. It is likely though that within
just a few years computers will be produced incorporating some spintronic / photonic components such
as photo-detector devices instead of the old copper
interconnectors. Accidental
Discovery Like so many other great discoveries this one was made
accidentally while the scientists were investigating heavier materials. Materials that have heavy
elements are usually the ones that display this spin property, but they have proven very difficult
to integrate into mainly silicon computer systems. The discovery that
the silicon itself can be altered in this way therefore makes the discovery even better as it
already has a compatibility with existing systems.
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