A total dose greater than 5000 rads delivered to silicon-based devices in seconds to minutes will cause long-term degradation.
These uses have mostly been replaced by silicon-based devices or are in the process of being replaced.
"This has extended upward the speed you can run a silicon-based device dramatically," said Bernard S. Meyerson, a researcher at the laboratory.
However, there are some drawbacks to using silicon-based devices in biomedical applications such as their high cost and bioincompatibility.
The three material layer transistor can operate at 604 GHz, which is three times faster than the fastest silicon-based device.
Instead, the vast majority of the solar electric market is made up of silicon-based devices.
Currently, silicon-based microelectronic devices are made using a photo-lithographic manufacturing process that involves depositing and chemically etching materials on a rigid silicon substrate.
Their findings could be useful in lowering the manufacturing cost of some silicon-based devices.
An incentive program two years ago in Germany distorted the market and created worldwide shortages of the silicon-based devices.
We do not have any silicon-based active devices.
