Photoconductive switch and diamonds

Design Insights: Chipping in; A Diamond in Your Chip

July 13, 2021
A review of the day’s top trending stories from Machine Design editors.

Chipping in

The global semiconductor shortage has had a ripple effect across several industries. The sector most acutely affected is automotive, where semiconductors—now essential to the operation of the car—are in such short supply that inventories are depleted and prices are rising.

To address the issue from the supply side, the National Association of Manufacturers and the Manufacturing Institute today released the latest episode in the Creators Wanted series. The episode, “Chip In: Build a Career Making Your Favorite Technologies,” focused on the U.S. reaction to the nationwide semiconductor shortage and how American manufacturers are investing in chip-making capacity while embarking on a campaign to attract talent.

The United States produces just 12% of the world’s chips, compared to 37% in 1990. Due to the disruptions caused by the chip shortage during the pandemic, manufacturers are investing billions to shore up chip production and creating well-paying jobs, NAM noted in a press release.

The race to develop a more global semiconductor manufacturing network won’t be done overnight. The attention the sector is now getting may accelerate manufacturing and stabilize the supply chain, but more attention—and investment—will be required.

A Diamond in Your Chip?

On the topic of semiconductors, a recent Machine Design article pointed to research around the use of diamonds to replace silicon in semiconductors.

The article notes, “Diamond is known to have better carrier mobility and thermal conductivity, the most important properties for powering electronic devices.” Researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) are exploring how synthetic diamonds might be used to improve performance.

“In electronics, you want to start with a pure material so you can so you can mold it into a device with the properties you want,” said LLNL physicist Paulius Grivickas.

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