https://techxplore.com/rss-feed/semiconductors-news/ en-us The latest news on electronics and semiconductor technology developments Modern data centers, high-precision measurement systems and high-resolution radar sensors rely on extremely broadband amplifier chips that combine low noise with high output power. Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Solid State Physics IAF have developed a monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) with strong performance in these areas. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-broadband-amplifier-centers-sensors.html Hardware Wed, 23 Sep 2026 20:20:01 EDT news709372735 Screens are becoming smaller and sharper. This can be seen, for example, in augmented reality glasses and the electronic viewfinders of cameras, some of which have a screen diagonal of less than 1 centimeter (0.4 inches). https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-tiny-oled-pixels-microchips-chemical.html Electronics & Semiconductors Wed, 23 Sep 2026 13:00:09 EDT news709386182 Chinese technology giant Huawei launched new chip technologies in a challenge to global leaders such as Nvidia that highlights the narrowing gap between China and the U.S. in artificial intelligence. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-huawei-unveils-chip-technologies-chinese.html Electronics & Semiconductors Thu, 17 Sep 2026 13:40:11 EDT news708868756 Organic semiconductors are carbon-based materials that can conduct electricity and can be used for flexible, lightweight and potentially low-cost electronic devices. While the technology is promising, performance challenges remain. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-degrading-dopants-boost-semiconductor.html Electronics & Semiconductors Thu, 17 Sep 2026 12:20:01 EDT news708865982 Physics predicts that no more than 33% of the solar energy that falls on a solar panel can be converted into electricity. However, experiments and simulations by scientists at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands revealed a way to harvest extra energy from "hot electrons," which could break this barrier. Their research is published in the journal ACS Energy Letters. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-harvesting-hot-electrons-solar-panel.html Electronics & Semiconductors Thu, 17 Sep 2026 10:00:10 EDT news708857641 Electronic engineers at Nottingham have found a new way to create sound effects by manipulating the interaction of sound waves, a method that could open new possibilities in music performance and production. It is a novel concept for sound effects that falls between electronic/digital and mechanical effects. The work has been published in the Journal of the Audio Engineering Society. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-revolutionary-effect-paradigm-interactions.html Engineering Thu, 17 Sep 2026 08:40:07 EDT news708849362 Electronics engineers worldwide have been trying to develop increasingly smaller components that can store and process information while consuming less energy. Ferroelectric materials, which possess spontaneous electrical polarization that can be reversed by an externally applied electric field, have proved promising for the development of denser, more energy-efficient memories and other miniaturized electronic components. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-ferroelectric-material-stable-atomic-thickness.html Engineering Thu, 17 Sep 2026 07:20:08 EDT news708695876 A new approach could help make future AI chips smaller and more energy-efficient. A KAIST-led research team has used a single material to address one of the major obstacles facing atomically thin semiconductors: the difficulty of efficiently injecting charge. The technology could contribute to next-generation AI and low-power semiconductor devices in which multiple ultrathin layers are vertically integrated to increase device density and performance. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-material-transistor-universal-injector-densely.html Electronics & Semiconductors Wed, 16 Sep 2026 15:32:29 EDT news708791526 Remember the solar calculator from middle school math class that had a small solar cell at the top? The idea behind that technology is not a relic of the past but the subject of continuous innovation. Today's indoor solar cells, known as photovoltaics, use new semiconductor materials, such as metal halide perovskite, to convert ambient light into electricity to power small electronic devices without needing batteries or a power outlet. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-thin-harnesses-indoor-power-devices.html Electronics & Semiconductors Mon, 14 Sep 2026 12:20:04 EDT news708605822 Kyocera Corporation and the Research Institute of Electrical Communication (RIEC) at Tohoku University have developed a new technology that integrates optical isolators directly onto silicon photonics chips using laser annealing, a method that applies localized heat treatment using a laser. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-laser-annealing-optical-isolators-silicon.html Electronics & Semiconductors Fri, 11 Sep 2026 12:20:07 EDT news708341300 A new approach to computing has quietly taken shape at Sandia National Laboratories, where researchers have developed a way to store information that could make future electronics more energy efficient. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-analog-memory-smart-devices-smarter.html Hardware Wed, 09 Sep 2026 12:20:04 EDT news708173885 A working prototype that can see, remember and interact with the world like the human brain could one day underpin smart bionic eyes while using far less energy than today's technologies. The invention from RMIT University combines sensing, memory and information processing within the same system, reducing the need to constantly move data between separate sensors, memory banks and processors. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-smart-bionic-eye-sight.html Electronics & Semiconductors Tue, 08 Sep 2026 16:40:10 EDT news708103561 A joint research team led by Professors Sangyoon Han and Jaesok Yu of the Department of Robotics and Mechatronics Engineering at DGIST has developed the world's first miniature optical ultrasonic sensor, thinner than a human hair, using semiconductor fabrication processes. The sensor can precisely detect megahertz (MHz)-range ultrasound transmitted through the air without directly contacting the target object and is expected to revolutionize nondestructive testing technologies for detecting internal defects in semiconductors and secondary batteries. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-miniature-optical-sensor-higher-airborne.html Engineering Tue, 08 Sep 2026 15:40:01 EDT news708099122 Wearable sensors, such as wristbands, rings and adhesive patches, are becoming increasingly common for health care monitoring, fitness tracking and human-machine interaction. While most wearable devices are made from flexible polymers or textiles, paper-based sensors are emerging as cheaper and more sustainable alternatives. Such sensors could be used for applications such as medical diagnosis or detecting contaminants and toxins and could be safely discarded after use. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-framework-paper-wearable-sensors-tailored.html Electronics & Semiconductors Thu, 03 Sep 2026 16:00:07 EDT news707669582 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 Nvidia chief Jensen Huang urged G20 ministers on Wednesday to build more data centers to support the artificial intelligence revolution and warned that leaders who talk up the technology's dangers risk leaving their countries behind. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-nvidia-boss-g20-ministers-ai.html Electronics & Semiconductors Wed, 02 Sep 2026 18:20:01 EDT news707572799 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 A research team has developed a flexible near-infrared (NIR) photodetector that delivers photoresponsivity more than five times higher while maintaining its performance under repeated bending. The technology is expected to serve as a core platform for next-generation flexible optoelectronic devices, including wearable health care devices, medical diagnostic sensors and optical communication receivers. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-flexible-sensor-infrared-higher-response.html Electronics & Semiconductors Wed, 26 Aug 2026 12:00:05 EDT news706961041 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 Semiconductor devices such as LEDs and transistors generally consist of two halves: an n-type, which carries negative charge via electrons, and a p-type, which moves positive charge carriers called holes that are essentially electron voids. Both halves rely on contacts that allow electric current to flow in and out with minimal energy loss. These connections, known as ohmic contacts, have been an efficiency bottleneck in thin p-type GaN semiconductors for decades because of their high resistance. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-resistance-contacts-pave-gallium-nitride.html Electronics & Semiconductors Mon, 24 Aug 2026 15:00:01 EDT news706802341 For more than two decades, silicon carbide (SiC) has been promoted as the key to developing extreme-environment electronics. Yet despite its promise, the field has remained stuck at the stage of basic research, failing to result in the development of practical devices. Now, a team of researchers at Kyoto University has set out to change that. "We believe the lack of development is because the research community has been trying to apply silicon-era thinking to a fundamentally different material," says Mitsuaki Kaneko first author of a new study published in APL Electronic Devices. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-silicon-carbide-transistor-600c.html Electronics & Semiconductors Mon, 24 Aug 2026 08:20:03 EDT news706777211 Nestled in the wooded hills of Austria's Styria region, the town of Leoben oozes tradition with its pastel-colored buildings and quaint central square boasting a 13th-century church. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-austrian-mountain-town-niche-ai.html Electronics & Semiconductors Sun, 23 Aug 2026 06:00:01 EDT news706681653 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