Through General Electric Company’s research organization,
GE Global Research, General Electric has reported on the development of an ideal carbon nanotube diode. The new diode is said
to operate at the “theoretical limit”, which corresponds to a near perfect electronic switch, an essential component
for the design of future generations of ultra small integrated circuits.
Technology related to the nanotube diode may also be the precursor
to a breakthrough in solar energy technology. According to the company, the GE Team observed a photovoltaic effect in
the nanotube-based diode. That effect is expected to be taken seriously by GE, which through its Ecomagination program has
an increasingly vested interest in solar and wind based renewable technologies. Besides the prospect of generating electricity,
the diode could help save power in electronic systems. The ideal nanodiode illustrated significant power efficiencies,
which could be attributed to its ideal nature (such as zero on resistance and infinite off resistance).
Margaret Blohm, GE's advanced technology leader for nanotechnology
elaborated on the perfect diode, "GE's success in developing the 'perfect' carbon nanotube device has not only ushered in
a new era in electronics, it has potentially opened new doors in solar energy research. The discovery of a photovoltaic effect
in our nanotube device could lead to exciting breakthroughs in solar cells that make them more efficient and a more viable
alternative in the mainstream energy market.
Besides the diode function, GE also noted that the new device has
the ability to function as two different types of transistors, enabling the new device to potentially detect and emit
light.
The size of the nanodiode was reported to be in the order of 1000
times smaller than the wavelength of light.
