Gallium nitride-based semiconductors have been a boon for high-frequency and power electronics. They’ve also revolutionized energy-efficient LED lighting. But no semiconductor wafer has been able to do both at the same time efficiently.
Now Cornell researchers, in collaboration with a team at the Polish Academy of Sciences, have developed the first dual-sided – or “dualtronic” – chip that combines its photonic and electronic functions simultaneously, an innovation that could shrink the size of functional devices, make them more energy efficient and reduce manufacturing costs.