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Context:

Scientists from the US and Europe figured out how to grow a tiny laser directly on a silicon chip, and it could make computers way faster and greener.

Detail

Scientists have made a tiny laser that can be grown directly on a silicon chip. This is significant because it could change how computers and other devices work.

Currently, computers mostly use electrons to carry information. But photons (particles of light) are much better at carrying information because they are faster, can carry more data, and lose less energy along the way.

The problem is that adding a light source (like a laser) to a silicon chip has been hard. Usually, engineers attach a separate laser to the chip, but this makes the device slower and more expensive.

Now, scientists have figured out how to grow the laser directly on the chip, which solves this problem. They did this using a process that works with the same factories that already make computer chips, so it’s not too expensive or complicated.

Significance 

• Faster Computers: Photons are like super-fast messengers compared to electrons. If we use photons instead of electrons, computers can process information much faster.
• Better Efficiency: Using light instead of electricity means less energy is wasted as heat. This is great for things like smartphones and laptops, which get hot when used for a long time. Scientists say this new laser uses very little power—just 5 milliamps (mA), which is about the same as the light in a computer mouse.
• Smaller Devices: These lasers are tiny, so they can fit on chips that are already used in modern technology. This means we don’t need to redesign everything to use them.

How Did They Do It?

The researchers used a material called gallium arsenide to make the laser. Gallium arsenide is good at producing light because its atoms are arranged in a way that lets electrons easily release energy as photons.

However, gallium arsenide doesn’t normally work well with silicon because their atomic structures don’t match up. When combining them, defects form, and these defects make the laser less efficient.

To fix this, the scientists carved tiny trenches into the silicon chip and lined them with an insulating material (silicon dioxide). Then, they grew the gallium arsenide inside these trenches. The defects got trapped at the bottom of the trenches, leaving the top part clean and ready to produce light.

Next, they added three thin layers of another material called indium gallium arsenide. These layers helped create the laser. Finally, they covered everything with a protective layer to keep it safe.

What Does the Laser Do?

The laser produces light with a wavelength of 1,020 nanometers . This type of light is perfect for sending information between computer chips over short distances

It can run continuously for 500 hours at room temperature (around 25°C). However, it starts to lose efficiency when the temperature gets too high (above 55°C). Other research has shown lasers working at higher temperatures (up to 120°C), so there’s still room for improvement. 

Source:

THE HINDU

https://t.me/+hJqMV1O0se03Njk9