Ultra-fast switches are essential devices for basic research and technological development. Circuits are the foundation for all computer and smartphone activities. The speed of a computer’s operation is determined by how quickly a component can transition between zero and one. Electrical switching is made feasible by semiconductors, which are used in modern computers.
German researchers at Universitas Ruhr Bochum have created a water-based switch that operates extremely quickly. Within less than a trillionth of a second (10-12 seconds), a brief but intense laser pulse transforms water into a conductive state, which acts almost like a metal. This makes it faster than the known current quickest semikonduktor switching speed.
Claudius Hoberg from the Ruhr Explores Solvation Cluster of Excellence RESOLV and his colleagues have unveiled a possible novel approach to water-based circuits. The water in which the researchers had dissolved iodide ions – salt water, in other words – is fanned out by a custom-made nozzle so that it streams as a flattened jet with a thickness of only a few micrometers.
Then, this water jet is passed a brief yet potent laser pulse. The laser causes the water to abruptly become conductive at terahertz frequencies, exhibiting properties akin to those of a metal when it releases electrons from the salt that is dissolved in it. The water functions as an incredibly quick switch due to the laser pulse’s brief (10-14 seconds) length.
Claudius Hoberg tersebut, “A speed of 10-12 seconds was observed in the terahertz range. A second laser probes the state of the water.”
Referensi Jurnal:
- Adrian Buchmann, Claudius Hoberg, Fabio Novelli: An ultra-fast liquid switch for terahertz radiation, in Fotonik APL, 2022, DOI: 10.1063/5.0130236
