MATERIAL SCIENCES
Calculating crystal properties, saving energy
An SNSF-funded researcher in Harvard has helped develop software for improving crystals.
Computer chips made of gallium nitride have certain advantages when compared to silicon chips. | Image: zVg
Practically all electronic devices are based on crystalline materials that conduct electricity and heat. We could help to reduce the power consumption of these devices by optimising existing materials and discovering new ones. A team from Harvard University, including the SNSF-funded physicist Natalya Fedorova, has developed software to achieve this. It can accurately predict the transport properties of complex crystals, thereby making computer analyses quicker.
