MIT Melts Silicon in Reverse, Makes Electronics Cheaper

As some end-users no doubt know, chips used in today's electronics use silicon extensively, whether they are central processing units or some other type of component. Other things, such as solar cells, also rely on this substance. Unfortunately, so far, some such products have been mostly inaccessible, price-wise, to the masses, because of the cost involved in acquiring silicon of the required purity. MIT researchers claim to have discovered a means of resolving this problem.

No doubt everyone knows that a substance melts upon being heated up sufficiently. MIT apparently found a way to melt silicon by reducing its temperature instead of raising it. The method it devised involves combining said silicon with the right combination and dosage of metals. This composition, when exposed to temperatures of only 900 degrees Celsius (instead of the normal 1,414 degrees) starts to melt upon being subjected to a slow cooling process. What this accomplishes is that the impurities separate off into the liquid part. Basically, this method purifies the silicon, which is important because, until now, there wasn't any practicable means of achieving this feat

“If you can create little liquid droplets inside a block of silicon, they serve like little vacuum cleaners to suck up impurities,” said Team leader Tonio Buonassisi, the SMA Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Manufacturing at MIT.

The discovery will have a great bearing on the final price of those electronics whose performance can be severely impaired by even the smallest amounts of impurity. This includes solar cells, which are hardly affordable at the present time. Unfortunately, this research for melting silicon in reverse is still some way off from being completed and turned into something practical. Nevertheless, it is still a step forward and should, eventually, remedy the cost problems associated with capricious devices.