Eli Yablonovitch @ MIT: What New Device Will Replace the Transistor?

Eli Yablonovitch, May 16, 2019

"The transistor has been with us for over 70 years, and during that time it has changed civilization. It is now time for an improvement. What new device will replace it?"

A talk delivered at MIT by UC Berkeley Professor Eli Yablonovitch on June 19, 2019. Professor Yablonovitch's lecture was the third talk in the "Perspectives on Nanotechnology" seminar series organized by MIT.nano in the spring and fall of 2019.

Abstract: There are numerous new technologies being developed that may impact the future of medicine. For example, new drug delivery technologies including microparticles, nanoparticles and nanotechnology promise to create new treatments for cancer, heart disease and other illnesses. Nanotechnology may also be useful in delivering DNA and siRNA as well. Approaches involving polymers, microchips, and lipids will be examined.

ABOUT PROFESSOR YABLONOVITCH
Prof. Yablonovitch introduced the idea that strained semiconductor lasers could have superior performance due to reduced valence band (hole) effective mass. With almost every human interaction with the internet, optical telecommunication occurs by strained semiconductor lasers. He is regarded as a Father of the Photonic BandGap concept, and he coined the term "Photonic Crystal". The geometrical structure of the first experimentally realized Photonic bandgap, is sometimes called “Yablonovite”.

In his photovoltaic research, Yablonovitch introduced the 4(n squared) (“Yablonovitch Limit”) light-trapping factor that is in worldwide use, for almost all commercial solar panels. His mantra that "a great solar cell also needs to be a great LED”, is the basis of the world record solar cells: single-junction 29.1% efficiency; dual-junction 31.5%; quadruple-junction 38.8% efficiency; all at 1 sun.

His cellphone antenna company, Ethertronics Inc., has shipped over 2x10^9 antennas.