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Silicon LED

Posted by michael on from the mommy,-is-my-RAM-supposed-to-glow-like-that? dept.

Ian writes "Scientists at the University of Surrey have developed an LED made entirely from silicon. This is a different approach to optoelectonics which had previously concentrated on nanocrystals. Full report from Nature, also coverage from the BBC, stand back and watch the patents fly (although in this case they are much more deserved)."

1 of 70 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Indirect bandgap. by swm · · Score: 5
    That's the whole point of this invention.

    The number of momentum states is (essentially) equal to the number of Si atoms in the crystal. So if you make a crystal with only a few atoms, you only get a few momentum states.

    That may push the bands around so that you get a direct band gap,

    OR

    That may make it possible to get a significant carrier population in the zero-momentum state, even though that isn't the lowest energy state.