ScienceDaily: Top Technology News

---

• New method monitors semiconductor etching as it happens -- with light
• Probing the mysteries of cracks and stresses
• Nanoparticles glow through thick layer of tissue
• Electrons confined inside nano-pyramids
• Catalysis: Optimizing water splitting
• New material, graphene, may soon replace silicon for technology industry, experts say
• Nanosciences: All systems go at the biofactory
• Saturn’s moon Titan shows surprising seasonal changes
• Mars weather report: Gale crater set for summer heat wave?
• Mars: Curiosity's DAN instrument suggests Gale Crater drier than expected

New method monitors semiconductor etching as it happens -- with light Posted: 28 Sep 2012 11:10 AM PDT Researchers have a new low-cost method to carve delicate features onto semiconductor wafers using light -- and watch as it happens. The technique can monitor a semiconductor's surface as it is etched, in real time, with nanometer resolution. This allows the researchers to create complex patterns quickly and easily, and adjust them as needed.

Probing the mysteries of cracks and stresses Posted: 28 Sep 2012 09:54 AM PDT Diving into a pool from a few feet up allows you to enter the water smoothly and painlessly, but jumping from a bridge can lead to a fatal impact. The water is the same in each case, so why is the effect of hitting its surface so different? This seemingly basic question is at the heart of complex research by a team that studied how materials react to stresses, including impacts. The findings could ultimately help explain phenomena as varied as the breakdown of concrete under sudden stress and the effects of corrosion on various metal surfaces.

Nanoparticles glow through thick layer of tissue Posted: 28 Sep 2012 09:51 AM PDT Novel, biocompatible nanoparticles glow through more than 3 centimeters of biological tissue, demonstrating the promise of nanotechnology in biomedical imaging.

Electrons confined inside nano-pyramids Posted: 28 Sep 2012 07:37 AM PDT Quantum dots are nanostructures of semiconducting materials that behave a lot like single atoms and are very easy to produce. Given their special properties, researchers see huge potential for quantum dots in technological applications. Before this can happen, however, we need a better understanding of how the electrons "trapped" inside them behave. Physicists have recently observed how electrons in individual quantum dots absorb energy and emit it again as light.

Catalysis: Optimizing water splitting Posted: 28 Sep 2012 06:33 AM PDT Computer simulations of a metal–sulfide alloy unlock the secrets to designing solar-powered catalysts that generate hydrogen fuel from water.

New material, graphene, may soon replace silicon for technology industry, experts say Posted: 28 Sep 2012 05:53 AM PDT Researchers have now developed a method for producing semiconductors from graphene. There are hopes that this new ultra-thin material will revolutionize the technology industry within about 5 years.

Nanosciences: All systems go at the biofactory Posted: 28 Sep 2012 05:52 AM PDT In order to assemble novel biomolecular machines, individual protein molecules must be installed at their site of operation with nanometer precision. Researchers have now found a way to do just that.

Saturn’s moon Titan shows surprising seasonal changes Posted: 28 Sep 2012 05:52 AM PDT Detailed observations of Saturn's moon Titan have now spanned 30 years, covering an entire solar orbit for this distant world. Researchers have now analyzed data gathered over this time and has found that the changing seasons of Titan affect it more than previously thought.

Mars weather report: Gale crater set for summer heat wave? Posted: 28 Sep 2012 05:52 AM PDT Preliminary weather reports from the Curiosity's Remote Environment Monitoring Station (REMS) are showing some surprisingly mild temperatures during the day. Average daytime air temperatures have reached a peak of 6 degrees Celsius at 2pm local time.  A Martian day – known as a Sol – is slightly longer than Earths at 24 hours and 39 minutes.

Mars: Curiosity's DAN instrument suggests Gale Crater drier than expected Posted: 28 Sep 2012 05:52 AM PDT Preliminary data from the Curiosity Mars Science Laboratory indicate that the Gale Crater landing site might be drier than expected. The Curiosity rover is designed to carry out research into whether Mars was ever able to support life, and a key element of this search is the hunt for water. Although Mars has many features on its surface that suggest a distant past in which the planet had abundant liquid water in the form of rivers and lakes, the only water known to be abundant on Mars today is frozen, embedded in the soil, and in large ice caps at both poles.

You are subscribed to email updates from ScienceDaily: Top Technology News To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610