Physicists from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have created technology that will enable computers, together with and all optic communication devices, to run 100 times faster. This is through the use of terahertz microchips. The terahertz chip could be used to develop a new generation wireless telecommunication systems which can fire at a super fast speeds of 100 Gb/sec.
The terahertz regime refers to an area of the electromagnetic spectrum that lies between the microwave and the optical, corresponding to frequencies of about 300 billion hertz to 10 trillion hertz. This radiation holds the key to super-fast computing, as well as promising the ability to move vast amounts of data quickly as well as producing extremely high-resolution images.
In order to improve the stability of new generation chips, the researchers used a Metal-Oxide-Nitride-Oxide-Silicon (MONOS) structure to produce a new integrated circuit that deploys flash memory technology in microchips. If this concept proves successful, the development will enable standard 8-16 gigahertz computers to run 100 times faster.
According to lead researcher Dr. Uriel Levy: “this discovery could help fill the ‘THz gap’ and create new and more powerful wireless devices that could transmit data at significantly higher speeds than currently possible. In the world of hi-tech advances, this is game-changing technology.”
The new research has been published in the journal Laser & Photonics Reviews. The research paper is titled “Non-Volatile Silicon Photonics Using Nanoscale Flash Memory Technology.”
In related news Google has taken another step forward on the path to developing the first quantum computer, with progress made to constructing a 72-qubit computer, see the Digital Journal article “Does Google’s 72-qubit computer mean quantum computing is coming?“
