Black Silicon Used For Surveillance?

An anonymous reader writes "For the past decade, 'black silicon' has been touted as a way to make super-sensitive image sensors and ultra-efficient solar cells. That's because the material — silicon wafers treated with sulfur gases and femtosecond laser pulses — is much better at absorbing photons and releasing electrons than conventional silicon, at least over certain wavelengths. In 2008, Harvard spinoff SiOnyx went public with its plans to commercialize black silicon. But what happened to those plans? Today SiOnyx revealed in another exclusive that it has raised new venture financing from Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen and other big investors. It also has formed a key strategic partnership to scale up manufacturing of black silicon — and go after markets in security, surveillance, automotive, consumer devices, and medical imaging."

Comments

I don't like black silicon

[Anonymous Coward]

I think black silicon is less productive, despite all the effort we've put into giving it a chance based on historical misuse and underuse. Basically, it doesn't have the right bond valency to adequately function in our society, so we really ought to let the markets sort of segregate so that people who prefer white silicon can go there without having to worry about intermixing.

Re:I don't like black silicon

[0100010001010011]

They also prefer African American Silicon.

Man, that's racist

[Anonymous Coward]

That's racist. Why's it gotta be "black" silicon? Y'all don't call normal silicon "white" silicon. We don't take kindly to you racist types 'round here.

Re:Man, that's racist

[FatdogHaiku]

To be Politically Correct, you must call it African American Silicon.

You should never call prople like Desmond Tutu a Black. He must be called an African American.

So, the color of his skin gives him American citizenship?
If you really want to phrase it this way, he must be called an "African South African" which seems to be the epitome of redundancy...
Also, I had no idea he was a "prople".

Re:Misleading summary

[couchslug]

"Black Silicon Kills Babies!"

An objective test is required. I suggest a sample of ten babies of the same weight.

Drop a 200KG slug of Black Silicon from a height of two meters on five of them, then drop a 200KG slug of White Silicon on the other five. High-speed video could monitor plastic deformation and splatter.

Comment removed

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

Re:Misleading summary

[Red Flayer]

An objective test is required. I suggest a sample of ten babies of the same weight.

Well, now you're just inducing selection bias. What if all babies who weigh 5 kilos have a splatter radius of only 0.2 meter, and all babies that weigh 7 kilos have a splatter radius of 2 meters? Then your objective test would be inherently flawed as to the predicted result of dropping a 200 kg slug of silicon on a baby.

What we need to do is to take a random sample of babies, of sufficient number compared to the total population of babies to achieve a low margin of error, split them into a control and a test group, and *then* drop the slugs of silicon on them.

Oh, also, for true statistical rigor, make sure to stab the babies with a pencil in both eyes first to ensure the study is double-blind.