http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2556782185-bef 12:26 PM ET 10/26/98 Danish scientists develop atom-size computer chip COPENHAGEN, Oct 26 (Reuters) - Danish scientists said on Monday they had created a chip where a single atom jumping back and forth could generate the binary code which is the basis of digital information used by computers. Applying this technique -- which might only become commercially viable in a decade or two -- information stored today on one million CD-roms could be stored on a single disc, physics doctor Francois Grey, the team leader, told Reuters by telephone. ``Society seems to find use for this,'' he said, referring to the search for ever smaller units in various technological applications. Using a scanning-tunnelling microscope, a four-man team at the microelectronics centre of the Danish University of Technology was able to remove from a hydrogen layer surface on a silicon chip one of a pair of hydrogen atoms attached to one silicon atom, leaving the remaining hydrogen atom jumping back and forth. ``This shows you can do it with the material in a controlled way,'' Grey said, noting the experiment had been completed successfully in normal room temperature. Hydrogen-covered silicon chips are standard in modern computers. Grey's team removed the hydrogen atom in an ultra-high vacuum chamber to keep the surface absolutely clean. This was one reason why the application may not be viable for practical use any time soon, he said. ``This is basic research. It is not something you can put in a computer tomorrow,'' he said. Scientists elsewhere had conducted similar experiments making single atoms jump back and forth, but their work was done with material frozen to near absolute zero temperature. The Danish team was the first to have succeeded in room temperature, Grey said. ^REUTERS@ ____________________________________________________________________ -------------------------------------------------------------------- Join The Web Consultants Association : Register on our web site Now Web Consultants Web Site : http://just4u.com/webconsultants If you lose the instructions All subscription/unsubscribing can be done directly from our website for all our lists. ---------------------------------------------------------------------
