Toggle light / dark theme

Get the latest international news and world events from around the world.

Log in for authorized contributors

Laser draws made-to-order magnetic landscapes

Researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI, in collaboration with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Boulder, Colorado, have for the first time succeeded in using existing laser technology to continuously vary the magnetic properties of two-dimensional materials.

This simple and fast method should make a large number of applications possible, including techniques for data storage and processing. The work is published in the journal Nature Communications.

Sometimes using conventional tools in a novel way produces astounding results. That’s what happened when researchers used the high-tech laser equipment in PSI’s cleanroom for something it was not intended to do. It was originally purchased for photolithography—a process for producing tiny 2D structures.

‘Light-bending’ material that controls blue and ultraviolet light could transform advanced chipmaking

Researchers from TU Delft and Radboud University (The Netherlands) have discovered that the two-dimensional ferroelectric material CuInP₂S₆ (CIPS) can be used to control the pathway and properties of blue and ultraviolet light like no other material can.

With ultraviolet light being the workhorse of advanced chipmaking, high-resolution microscopy and next-generation optical communication technologies, improving the on-chip control over such light is vital. As the researchers describe in the journal Advanced Optical Materials, CIPS can be integrated onto chips, opening exciting new avenues for integrated photonics.

/* */