Diamond semiconductor chips
APR 08, 2010
DOI: 10.1063/PT.5.024227
New Scientist : Pure diamond is a super-tough electrical insulator, but given the right impurities it becomes a semiconductor. Crucially, it is also the best thermal conductor on Earth. Those properties means synthetic diamond could be used to make microchips that handle high-power signals but do not require power-hungry cooling systems."Diamond-based control modules in electric cars and industrial machinery could lead to considerable energy savings,” says Hideaki Yamada of National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) in Tsukuba, Japan.
© 2010 American Institute of Physics
