Paul R. Berger (right), professor of electrical engineering and physics at Ohio State University, and graduate student Niu Jin (left) show the rapid thermal annealing system they used to create a record-breaking piece of electronic equipment called a tunnel diode. Able to transmit three times more electrical current than the next most powerful diode of its kind, the new diode could lead to faster computer chips, as well as cell phones that run on low-power batteries. Berger led a team of researchers from Ohio State, the Naval Research Laboratory, and the University of California, Riverside to develop the diode.

Phillip E. Thompson of the Naval Research Laboratory stands next to a molecular beam epitaxy system that was used in the development of a powerful new piece of electronic equipment called a tunnel diode. Ohio State University led a team of researchers, which included the Naval Research Laboratory and the University of California, Riverside, to develop the diode.

This graphic, created by Roger Lake of the University of California, Riverside, shows the energy states of atoms in a powerful new tunnel diode. A team of researchers led by Ohio State University and including the Naval Research Laboratory and the University of California, Riverside, recently developed the diode, which transmits three times more electrical current than the next most powerful diode of its kind. Researchers have long sought to develop tunnel diodes that can be easily integrated into conventional electronics, because they use quantum mechanical effects to boost electrical current -- even in devices running on small, low-power batteries.

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