Nanoscale facility thinks big on developing microchip workforce

For the first time, the Cornell Nanoscale Science and Technology Facility (CNF) is using virtual reality to inspire and train the next generation of semiconductor professionals. CNF has launched a free VR outreach module that immerses students in its 17,000-square-foot clean room, where microchips are made, using high-definition, 360-degree video accessible via VR headsets, laptops, or tablets.

Scientists flip the script and solve a longstanding spintronics challenge

detrimental to electronic performance—can actually enhance device efficiency by leveraging quantum properties. This discovery challenges decades of conventional thinking and paves the way for a new generation of ultra-low-power spintronic devices, which utilize the electron’s spin in addition to its charge to process and store data, offering a promising alternative to traditional electronics.

New imaging technique bridges the gap in microscale tomography

A team of international researchers have discovered a novel photothermal coherence tomography technique—frequency-multiplexed photothermal correlation tomography (FM-PCT)—that brings infrared thermography (IRT) from limited 2D imaging to 3D tomography.