Communications of the ACM
Going Beyond Moore's Law By sing the Third Dimension
Illustration of a conductive particle attracted to a disclination line that joins two electrodes at points P and Q.
Credit: Fleury, et al. / IPCM
Institute of Physics and Chemistry of Materials of Strasbourg (IPCM) researchers have manufactured microwires that self-assemble themselves into a three-dimensional (3D) template and connect to electrodes with an accuracy of a few micrometers.
IPCM's Jean-Baptiste Fleury, David Pires, and Yves Galerne started by filling the space between two substrates with a nematic liquid crystal. The scientists then created a defect line in the liquid crystal, which enabled them to produce a programmable disclination. The nematic liquid crystals also attract small objects to the disclinations.
"As far as I know, there are no other means, at the moment, able to produce microwires self-connected in 3D on designed electrodes," Galerne says. The researchers think the process can be extended to produce large numbers of microwires, which could lead to the development of large-scale 3D integrated circuits.
From PhysOrg.com
View Full Article
Abstracts Copyright © 2010 Information Inc., Bethesda, Maryland, USA 
No entries found