https://techxplore.com/rss-feed/semiconductors-news/ en-us The latest news on electronics and semiconductor technology developments The field of silicon photonics, which uses light rather than electricity to transmit and process data on semiconductor chips, has enabled optical systems to evolve from bulky setups to compact, advanced systems. Typically, however, these silicon-photonics chips are rigid and opaque. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-transparent-silicon-photonics-chips-advanced.html Electronics & Semiconductors Thu, 03 Sep 2026 15:40:07 EDT news707668561 Inside every electronic device, the flow of electricity is controlled by a switch called a transistor. For decades, these switches were made from silicon. More recently, engineers have turned to a material called gallium nitride (GaN), which enables small, efficient devices like smartphone chargers. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-transistor-high-voltage-microchip-scale.html Electronics & Semiconductors Fri, 28 Aug 2026 10:40:03 EDT news707129462 Gold has been the safe choice for perovskite solar cells. We found a way to stop needing it. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-gold-standard-ultrathin-chromium-layer.html Electronics & Semiconductors Thu, 27 Aug 2026 17:20:01 EDT news707043018 Metals, semiconductors and insulators are fundamental components of modern electronics. However, efforts to improve device performance have largely focused on semiconductor quality, while metal crystallinity has received far less attention. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-nanoscale-transistors-contact-resistance-stepwise.html Electronics & Semiconductors Thu, 27 Aug 2026 14:00:13 EDT news707049961 A new set of modular components allows users to create reconfigurable smart devices with electrical connections that keep working no matter what shape the structure forms. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-bifur-circuits-devices-electrical-intact.html Engineering Thu, 27 Aug 2026 12:00:48 EDT news707050816 Fuel cells, devices that generate electricity by converting the chemical energy of hydrogen or other fuels via electrochemical reactions, are promising solutions for powering large electric vehicles, industrial sites and remote facilities. To drive the necessary reactions, solid oxide fuel cells rely on ceramic, heat-resistant electrolytes, solid materials that transport ions between two electrodes. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-aurivillius-materials-temperature-fuel-cells.html Electronics & Semiconductors Wed, 26 Aug 2026 08:00:08 EDT news706866209 Researchers at Princeton Engineering have created a semiconductor with unique properties: It is just a few molecules thick and can repeatedly change its properties in response to light. This is a step toward building more energy-efficient sensors, optoelectronic devices and computing technologies. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-erasable-semiconductor.html Engineering Tue, 25 Aug 2026 16:20:07 EDT news706893121 As transistors inside microchips continue to shrink, the metal wiring that connects them is becoming a growing obstacle to faster, more energy-efficient chips. Narrower wires have greater electrical resistance, while smaller gaps between them increase interference between adjacent signals. These effects impede data transfer and raise energy consumption—an issue known as an interconnect bottleneck, which is especially acute in data-hungry artificial intelligence processors. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-nanometers-carbon-layers-future-chip.html Electronics & Semiconductors Thu, 20 Aug 2026 11:40:09 EDT news706444021 MIT researchers have overcome a major challenge holding back the real-world deployment of microwave quantum technologies for advanced signal processing and secure communications. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-hybrid-magnetic-device-enables-quantum.html Electronics & Semiconductors Wed, 19 Aug 2026 13:22:50 EDT news706364544 From a skin patch that changes color to flag abnormal blood sugar to a diver's sleeve display that stays readable underwater, the need for bright, flexible screens is growing, but no existing technology delivers the combination of simplicity, low power and robustness these applications need. Existing organic light-emitting diodes require complex multilayer structures that are difficult to bend reliably. Light-emitting capacitors are simpler, but they demand hundreds or even thousands of volts, ruling out anything worn on the body. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-ultimate-flexible-screens-brightness-redesigned.html Electronics & Semiconductors Tue, 18 Aug 2026 16:20:04 EDT news706288141 A flash of light lasting a fraction of a millisecond could help create better materials for solar energy. Researchers used ultrafast heating at rates of up to 10 million degrees Celsius per second to rearrange the atoms inside a semiconductor, producing a version that generated up to 50 times more electrical current from light than the same material in its ordinary form. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-high-materials-surface-beneath.html Electronics & Semiconductors Tue, 18 Aug 2026 12:40:05 EDT news706270433 MIT researchers have engineered bacteria that can function as transistors, allowing the team to create living "circuit boards" that can be printed onto a growth medium in a Petri dish. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-bacteria-transistors.html Electronics & Semiconductors Mon, 17 Aug 2026 17:40:01 EDT news706206421 Recovering valuable metals from electronic waste, mining streams and industrial waste typically requires large quantities of chemical reagents. Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have developed a new molecule that could replace much of that chemistry with electricity—a fundamental advance that could potentially make metal recovery cleaner, simpler and more energy-efficient. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-built-chemical-reagents-gold-recovery.html Electronics & Semiconductors Fri, 14 Aug 2026 14:20:05 EDT news705933841 A new physics-based analytical model can accurately predict ferroelectric behavior under real-world, complex voltages, according to a study led by University of Michigan Engineering. The model bridges the longstanding gap between fundamental switching physics and practical device engineering. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-bridges-ferroelectric-physics-circuit.html Engineering Wed, 12 Aug 2026 12:40:09 EDT news705753481 Smartwatches, phones and even some drones rely on lightweight, rechargeable energy storage systems. Once those devices wear out, many end up as electronic waste. Now, researchers reporting in ACS Energy Letters have developed a compact supercapacitor that can be quickly disassembled into reusable components. They used the devices to power a glider's propeller and then took apart one supercapacitor and sequentially reused parts in two new ones that performed as well as the original device. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-energy-storage-device-recycled.html Electronics & Semiconductors Wed, 12 Aug 2026 09:40:06 EDT news705745561 The ability to change focus instantly is something most people take for granted. Every day, our eyes effortlessly switch between reading a book, recognizing a face across the room or watching a bird fly overhead. Replicating that remarkable technological flexibility, however, has proved far more difficult. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-graphene-powered-soft-lens-pave.html Electronics & Semiconductors Mon, 10 Aug 2026 16:20:01 EDT news705596001 The same overheating problem that happens to our laptops also plagues computer servers and data centers around the world—and heat management is only getting harder as computer chips get more compact and powerful. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-electronics.html Engineering Thu, 06 Aug 2026 10:00:01 EDT news705228241 A research team led by Professor Kang Bosoek of the SKKU Advanced Institute of Nano Technology (SAINT), Department of Nano Engineering and Department of Semiconductor Convergence Engineering at Sungkyunkwan University has developed two new molecular design technologies to enhance the electrical conductivity of organic electronic materials. One technology generates a greater number of charge carriers within a polymer, while the other connects transport pathways so that charge can move without interruption. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-polar-molecules-polymer-bridges-key.html Electronics & Semiconductors Tue, 04 Aug 2026 14:52:50 EDT news705073895 Semiconductors such as silicon are the cornerstone of today's essential technologies, but the variety of materials available to power devices is limited. While metal oxides are durable, only a small subset are semiconducting because they are naturally insulating. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-resilient-semiconductor-materials.html Electronics & Semiconductors Tue, 04 Aug 2026 14:20:06 EDT news705071342 Molecules are among the smallest building blocks available for making next-generation devices. Their unique, customizable properties enable promising applications in emerging computing, sensing, optical and quantum technologies. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-molecules-reliable-electronic-devices-fabrication.html Electronics & Semiconductors Mon, 03 Aug 2026 14:40:03 EDT news704985721 Wearable electronics are gradually evolving from simple sensors into feature-rich devices that can make basic decisions and support medical care in real time. To fully realize this vision, wearable systems must be soft and versatile enough to adapt naturally to the body while performing tasks without sacrificing comfort or reliability. Creating electronics that combine flexibility and computing in a single device remains a difficult challenge. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-transistor-wearable-electronics-roles-salt.html Electronics & Semiconductors Mon, 03 Aug 2026 12:40:04 EDT news704979241 A research team led by professor Il Jeon of the Department of Nano Engineering and the Sungkyunkwan Advanced Institute of Nanotechnology (SAINT) at Sungkyunkwan University, including Dr. Sihyeok Kim and Dr. Jang Woo Lee, has developed a next-generation artificial intelligence semiconductor device capable of independently implementing long-term and short-term memory within a single device using surface acoustic waves (SAWs). https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-reconfigurable-ai-device-term-memory.html Electronics & Semiconductors Tue, 28 Jul 2026 12:00:04 EDT news704457181 The same class of chemical additive that makes plastic wrap pliable and vinyl flooring soft could be the key to unlocking the next generation of wearable displays. Researchers at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering (UChicago PME) have discovered that blending a common plastic softener into light-emitting polymer films makes those films both brighter and more stretchable. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-common-plastic-additive-stretchable-oled.html Electronics & Semiconductors Tue, 21 Jul 2026 16:00:09 EDT news703868041 Metasurfaces are ultrathin optical components engineered with arrays of nanoscale structures that can control light in ways that are difficult for conventional optics. Unlike traditional optical components, which typically rely on their shape and thickness, metasurfaces manipulate light using carefully designed nanostructures patterned on a flat surface. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-programmable-metasurface-keyboard-dynamic-holograms.html Electronics & Semiconductors Mon, 20 Jul 2026 15:00:08 EDT news703777321 Over the past decade, perovskite LEDs have become increasingly vibrant and affordable to produce. With careful tweaks to their chemical composition, these crystal-based light emitters can be tuned across the visible spectrum—matching and sometimes even beating rival LED materials for producing red and green light. However, blue light has remained a holdout, keeping full-color perovskite displays out of reach. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-fine-tuned-perovskites-blue-vibrant.html Engineering Mon, 20 Jul 2026 13:15:58 EDT news703772133 Publishing in the journal npj Flexible Electronics, researchers from Kyushu University have developed prototype thin-film electronic modules that can automatically connect and disconnect with one another. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-prototype-thin-electronics-dock-undock.html Electronics & Semiconductors Fri, 17 Jul 2026 05:00:02 EDT news703402956 High-frequency waves classified as terahertz occupy a relatively underused region of the electromagnetic spectrum between infrared light and microwaves. Researchers have long recognized their unique potential for applications including ultrafast wireless communication, security screening, remote sensing and medical imaging. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-powerful-terahertz-semiconductor-chip.html Hardware Thu, 16 Jul 2026 13:35:26 EDT news703427533 Imagine using a wearable device so thin and discreet that you'd hardly be aware you were wearing it. Now Tufts engineers have created flexible electronics that could do just that. Made of thread-based integrated circuits that can bend, coil, stretch and conform to the body's contours and movements, the devices are designed to exist free-form, sewn into clothing or wrapped around curved and movable surfaces. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-thread-based-electronics-conform-body.html Electronics & Semiconductors Mon, 13 Jul 2026 08:40:07 EDT news703149198 Conventional computers process and store information using separate components, known as a processor and memory unit. Because transferring data from one component to the other can be energy-consuming, many electronics engineers have been trying to develop new devices that rely on a single component to store and process information. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-method-fault-tolerant-analog-memory.html Hardware Mon, 13 Jul 2026 06:45:56 EDT news703143861 Built from flexible, compliant materials, soft robots are gaining relevance for tasks ranging from minimally invasive surgery to deep-sea exploration but remain held back by a fundamental constraint. To sense their surroundings and react, most soft robots rely on separate electronic sensors, signal-processing circuits and powered actuators, all coordinated by computers. This chain of components adds weight, complexity and points of failure, particularly in wet, hot or high-pressure settings where electronics are highly susceptible to disruption. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-soft-sensor-robotic-action-electronics.html Robotics Sun, 12 Jul 2026 11:20:01 EDT news702822241