UV light cools silicon chip creation
BBC: Energy costs associated with semiconductor silicon chip manufacture could be dramatically cut if a new manufacture process goes into widespread use. Currently silicon dioxide, the basis of silicon chips are made by heating silicon to 1000 C to form silicon dioxide. A team from University College London has found a method that uses low-temperature, ultraviolet lamps to make the compound. The UV technique operates at room temperature. "This finding means that the industry's energy, and subsequent cost savings, could reduce the prices of electronic devices for consumers and, of course, create a positive environmental impact," said Professor Ian Boyd of UCL, a member of the team behind the discovery.
