At the heart of every mobile phone, laptop and autonomous vehicle is a tiny semiconductor whose properties and, ultimately, performance are determined by free electrons. Now, UC Berkeley researchers have developed a new way to measure these electrons that could lead to more energy-efficient semiconductor materials and electronics.
“Our optical nanoscopy integrates near-field scanning optical microscopy and pump-probe optics to enable high resolution at both spatial and temporal scales,” said Costas Grigoropoulos, professor of mechanical engineering and principal investigator of the study. “And this technology can be applied to a wide range of semiconductor materials, including silicon, germanium and gallium arsenide as well as other exotic materials, such as 2D materials and ferroelectrics.”

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