Semiconductors are essential components in many modern technologies, including computers, digital cameras, LEDs, automobiles and solar panels. Despite their prevalence, current methods to produce semiconductors are energy intensive and costly.
Researchers working with Bryce Sadtler, associate professor of chemistry in Arts & Sciences, and Rohan Mishra, associate professor of mechanical engineering and materials science at the McKelvey School of Engineering, both at Washington University in St. Louis, recently developed an alternative method for producing semiconductors. The team's novel approach uses electrodeposition to create a thin layer of material without the need for an expensive and difficult to produce subsurface. The method could reduce the cost of growing semiconductors and improve the accessibility and scalability of the process.
The results were published Sept. 29 in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.
