Modern computers rely on semiconductors, in part because they can direct current in one direction. For more than a century this was thought to be impossible in a superconductor, but researchers in the Netherlands report finding a way. This discovery should make computers hundreds of times faster than they are now.
Researchers from Delft University of Technology have published a paper on how they achieve unidirectional superconductivity. As a result, computers should be able to replace semiconductors with superconductors that can carry infinite current without loss of energy. This should be able to increase the speed of computers by orders of magnitude.
Mazhar Ali (centre), fellow researchers Dr. Yaojia Wang (left) and Dr. Heng Wu (right)
According to TU professor Mazhar Ali, computers based on superconductors should be able to reach speeds of up to terahertz. Superconductivity may not be beneficial for consumer computers in the short term, but Ali thinks it should be applicable in server farms and supercomputers.
Normally currents flow through superconductors without any resistance, making it impossible to stop or divert their currents. Ali says his group was able to do this by sandwiching a quantum material between two semiconductors.
But so far, the research team has only tested the method at extremely low temperatures. Currently, any superconductor-based system using this process would be extremely sensitive to heat. Ali’s team plans to see if the method can work at temperatures above 77 Kelvin (-196.15 degrees Celsius), so that computers can use superconductors using liquid nitrogen cooling. The next step should be to figure out how to produce enough superconductors for a chip.
Source: Techspot
Source: Hardware Info
