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The development of microelectromechanical systems that decompose after use expands the toolbox of transient electronics, a technology that could help reduce electronic waste.
Thermal management technology is essential in the development of electronic systems, and techniques that can deliver efficient cooling continue to evolve.
Methods to create van der Waals contacts between two-dimensional semiconductors and three-dimensional metals are helping to unleash the potential of two-dimensional devices.
Driven by their achievements in solar cells, metal halide perovskites are being used in a range of other devices — from light-emitting diodes to photodetectors to field-effect transistors — with increasing success.
Quantum computers based on silicon could exploit the manufacturing techniques used to create conventional computer chips — providing a potential route to scaled-up quantum processors.
Sales of electric vehicles are surging, but the technology faces challenges in terms of the development of an appropriate charging infrastructure and the ongoing global chip shortage.
Technology breakthroughs at the 2021 IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting, which is once again being held as an in-person event in San Francisco.
Ion implantation can be used to dope silicon devices, but can be problematic when applied to the atomically thin crystal structure of two-dimensional materials — an increasing range of alternative methods is though available.
Flexible devices based on organic semiconductors could be of use in the development of wearable electronics and the Internet of Things, but face competition from other established and emerging technologies.
Two-dimensional structures that are engineered to manipulate electromagnetic radiation are becoming increasingly practical and could be of use in bioelectronics and communications.
The coronavirus pandemic and an increased demand for semiconductor technology has led to a global chip shortage — and a re-evaluation of global supply chains.
The development of competitive field-effect transistors based on two-dimensional semiconductors will also require the development of suitably scaled insulators.