Photonics, the science of using photons to carry information, promises to continue improving a wide variety of technologies, from computing to high-speed communication.
Now an international team of researchers from the UK, Taiwan, and Spain have discovered a compact way to produce infrared light, by firing electrons through a miniscule tunnel in a stack of gold and silica layers.
The tiny, tunable light source could be the predecessor of a new component for light-based chips.
The device is outlined in Physical Review Letters and highlighted with a Synopsis in the September 21, 2009 issue of Physics.
Story Source:
Materials provided by American Physical Society. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
Cite This Page: