It appears to be 100 percent compatible with existing silicon chip-processing technology, researchers said. The treatment allows the chips to withstand the damage generated by electrons passing through them. Deuterium-treated chips also should stand up better in harsh environments, such as space. The treatment could improve the reliability of other chip-carrying devices in everything from kitchen appliances and automobiles to military weapons systems, the researchers said. The U. of I. has applied for a patent for the processing technique, which was discovered by Joe Lyding and Karl Hess, professors of electrical and computer engineering, who are conducting nanotechnology research at the U. of I. Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology.
Nanotechnology is the science of making ever-smaller electronic devices.
The principle has been demonstrated very well. This offers the opportunity for someone to operate smaller electronic devices with higher supply voltages, which means faster circuits. Deuterium is a stable, non-radioactive isotope of hydrogen. An isotope is any of two or more forms of an element having the same atomic number but with different weights, or mass. Deuterium has about twice the mass of ordinary hydrogen.