Method Achieves Nanoscopic Measure of Electron Dynamics in Semiconductor Materials

The properties and performance of semiconductor chips powering modern technologies are ultimately determined by free electrons. With the continued miniaturization of electronic and photonic devices, tools to examine the behavior of free electrons, simultaneously at the picosecond-time and nanometer-length scales, have become necessary. A method developed by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley is poised to allow more effective measurement of these electrons, opening paths to better energy efficiency. The researchers developed what they described as a new type of optical nanoscopy to measure electron dynamics in semiconductors. Optical nanoscopy uses laser beams to strike free electrons, scattering light and...