The 'Silent' Science

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Written by Maulik Chandarana

Thursday, 25 September 2008 16:01

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The non-stop progress of materials science is, and continues to be, the foundation of almost any development in information and communication technology (ICT). This is a relatively unknown yet seminal field; read on to learn more about it.

When you think of technology, what comes to mind? Typically, it would be sleek mobile phones, sophisticated computer systems, portable storage devices, stylish music players and gaming consoles, flat screens, high-end software, Internet and Web applications, faster processors, etc. All these, of course, are the gifts of technology.

Now, imagine a world without metals, alloys, gases, liquids and colloids, magnets, lights, lasers, plastics, polymers, ceramics, etc. More so, imagine a world without silicon and other semiconductors. Imagine a world without carbon and its derivatives, a world without DNA... "WAIT A MINUTE!" you say, "WHAT'S GOING ON?". Welcome to the world of materials science-- a science that is least talked about, in spite of its substantial role in the development of technology as a whole. While it might not strike a chord at the first instance, materials and their manipulation, the creation of new materials and their usage-- all encompass materials science. And developments in this field have lead to new technologies (or significant improvements in existing technologies), and in turn into highly successful commercial products and even industries. It would not be wrong to say, at least, at the most basic level, that it is the non-stop progress and input of materials science that is-- and continues to be-- the foundation of almost any development in the field of information and communication technology (ICT). Perhaps it's time to give due recognition to a science that has long been 'silent'.

Silicon-- everyone's darling!

Without delving too much into the history of the materials sciences, one may begin with silicon, a semiconductor-- the 'darling' of the industry. Without it, information processing would be virtually non-existent, considering that silicon, along with its variations, is among the most prominent components in various devices like chips, processors, insulators, transistors, etc. It is here that Dr Praveen Chaudhary, currently director of the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory, points out the importance of materials science in the development of silicon technology. He says, "Silicon technology would not have been possible without continuous advances in materials sciences. This assertion holds for all aspects of IT hardware." Speaking about current research in conventional silicon technology, Dr Chaudhary says,{quotes} "Research is on in designing thin insulators with large dielectric constants for use as gate insulators, and low-dielectric-constant materials to form substrates for higher-speed transmission of signals." says Dr Praveen Chaudhary, currently director of the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory{/quotes}

However, since the introduction of integrated circuits way back in the late 50s, semiconductor science and technology has developed with unmatched speed. Future advances are expected to bridge diverse fields, such as semiconductor physics, magnetic materials, organic chemistry, polymer science, and biology. In addition, the physical contact between different materials on one chip will revolutionise transistor, sensor, memory, and communication technologies.

So, is there ever going to be an alternative for silicon in the future? Well, though there doesn't seem to be a definitive answer to this question, there is a lot of research and study going on. In fact, two groups had reported superconductivity at high pressure in lithium, which was once thought of as the simplest of metals. In other developments, Intel and IBM have announced replacing silicon with hafnium, in a key part of semiconductors where transistors leaked. Interest is also focused on diluted magnetic semiconductors (DMS), in which silicon is made magnetic by doping it with manganese. DMS devices consume less power than conventional devices and have the capability to operate at considerably higher speeds.

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