(June 26, 2015) Research
led by Michigan State University could someday lead to the development of new
and improved semiconductors.
In a paper published in the journal Science Advances, the
scientists detailed how they developed a method to change the electronic
properties of materials in a way that will more easily allow an electrical
current to pass through.
The electrical properties of semiconductors depend on the
nature of trace impurities, known as dopants, which when added appropriately to
the material will allow for the designing of more efficient solid-state
electronics.
The MSU researchers found that by shooting an ultrafast
laser pulse into the material, its properties would change as if it had been
chemically “doped.” This process is known as “photo-doping.”