2023-12-26 21:00:00
Enjoy -10€ OFF. EXTRA in your subscription to National Geographic magazine with the code CHRISTMAS10. Only 100 coupons available!
Enjoy National Geographic Special Editions at an exclusive price for being a subscriber.
For a couple of years now, computing and quantum electronics have been on everyone’s lips. This 2023, interest in these two areas has reached its climax when the Nobel Prizes They honored Moungi Bawendi, Louis Brus and Alexei Ekimov for the discovery and synthesis of the quantum dots, one of the bases of these two technologies. However, despite being a hot and very current topic, there is a certain general lack of knowledge about what exactly these quantum structures are and how these new semiconductors incorporate them to improve energy efficiency and the quality of transmissions.
The 7 steps to award a Nobel Prize
WHAT ARE QUANTUM POINTS?
Before understanding exactly what quantum dots are, it is convenient to remember the atomic structure, such as that nucleus loaded with protons and neutrons, surrounded by electrons that orbit non-stop around it. Well, quantum dots are neither more nor less than very very small structures capable of confining those electrons located in the outermost part of the atom. It is a tiny point, the scale nanometricwhich introduces them directly as objects specific to the field of nanotechnology and nanoscience.
The Nobel Prize in Chemistry is for the study of quantum dots
Obviously, their small size makes them structures that do not respond to the most classical and traditional laws of physics, but rather their behavior must be governed by that established by the quantum mechanics, hence its name. But how are they then able to confine electrons in such minimal regions? Well, it is achieved through certain types of electrostatic potentials that are created in the atom and, more specifically, in the crust, which can originate from electrodes placed on both sides of the atom, from voltage impulses or even from simple natural impurities.
Now, the capture of the electron is done in such a small space that a phenomenon known as quantum confinement. This means that the confinement is as small or smaller than the electron’s own De Broglie wavelength, so it is forced to move only in very specific energy states. In other words: loses its freedom and can only occupy specific sites within the quantum dot.
The 5 points to understand quantum physics
UNIQUE FEATURES
Now, these curious characteristics allow quantum dots to have some very special properties. And, for example, they have the ability to manipulate light and electricity in a very controlled way. For example, when an electron confined in a quantum dot is illuminated, these They absorb that energy and become excited, jumping to higher states (within those that were allowed due to quantum confinement). When the electron is de-excited, it returns to its energy state, emitting energy in the form of photons and, therefore, luz.
Antipoff
Quantum dots with diameters varying in steps of 10 nm that are being produced by PlasmaChem with gradual emission from violet to deep red
The curious and most interesting thing is that the frequency at which that photon moves, that is, the color of that light will depend directly on the size of the quantum dot. This is because the type of quantum confinement that occurs on the electron will come directly defined by the size of the points and, therefore, the allowed energy states, in which it can move, will be directly linked as well: deexcitation from different energy states will produce one or another frequency of photons and, therefore, one or another color in the emitted light.
THE NEW SEMICONDUCTORS
It is precisely this property that makes them the perfect basis for the development of new semiconductors. Thus, in the electronics industry, for example, they are used in the construction of new monitors or televisions, with the aim of improving image quality and energy efficiency: by adjusting the size of the quantum dot it is possible to select the exact color desired for each point on the screen, which translates into a much more precise and successful choice of tones.
Likewise, they are also beginning to make their way into quantum computing, where the use of these points is being explored for the development and creation of new qubits, the fundamental units in computing. Finally, the optoelectronics It is a somewhat more unknown field, but one in which quantum dots are making a strong presence. And, with quantum dots made of semiconductor materials, it is possible to manufacture light-emitting laser diodes that are much more efficient than those used today in CD or barcode readers.
#basis #semiconductors