New Dielectric Material Promises Radiation Resistant Transistors, Flexible Computers

[danrok]

See front page:
http://www.aoaforums.com/frontpage/content/view/4243/1/

Comments?

[cloasters]

Very interesting article, thank you Danrok! Dielectric = Semiconductor? Blush my face, I didn't know that. Is the terminology wrong in this article? Or am I wrong about the terminology?

[Gizmo]

Dielectric is a fancy word for insulator.

Silicon dioxide is the principle insulator in most semiconductors, primarily because silicon is the base material most semiconductors are made and silicon dioxide is therefor easy to come by. Unfortunately, the silicon dioxide insulating layer is the largest single feature of any semiconductor, and is susceptible to ionizing radiation. Once the silicon dioxide becomes ionized, it ceases to be an insulator and the semiconductor ceases to function. This means that sensitive electronics have to be both shielded from and hardened against radiation for aerospace applications. If the fair-haired boys at Northwestern University have really come up with a new semiconductor material that doesn't easily ionize, and can be printed, they'll have the proverbial tech 'home run' on their hands.

[cloasters]

Thank you for the great explanation, Gizmo! It would have been better to keep "dielectric" out of the article, IMHO. Maybe it's just me, but "insulating layer" would have been a better choice.