Electronic computing speeds are brushing up against limits
imposed by the laws of physics. Photonic computing, where photons replace
comparatively slow electrons in representing information, could surpass those
limitations, but the components of such computers require semiconductors that
can emit light.
Now, research from the University of Pennsylvania has
enabled "bulk" silicon to emit broad-spectrum, visible light for the
first time, opening the possibility of using the element in devices that have
both electronic and photonic components.