Much is made of the development of novel forms of photonics, such as organic detectors, emitters, and photovoltaics, as well as novel electronics, including graphene electronics, spin-based computing, and others. These up-and-coming technologies are important for good reason; unless we plan to be happy forever with 2 to 4 GHz processor speeds, existing data-storage densities, and conventional photonics, such technologies are our way forward. These technologies, by the way, can be characterized in detail by another form of photonics -- terahertz spectroscopy.
Terahertz radiation is a noncontact, nondestructive way of determining detailed material characteristics such as carrier scattering time in semiconductors (important to high-speed electronics), vibrational resonances in molecular solids (organic electronics and photonics), and antiferromagnetic resonances (spin-based computing).
Lake Shore Cryotronics (Westerville, OH), an expert in this area, has developed a continuous-wave terahertz-spectroscopy system especially for the discovery and advancement of future technological materials; the system will be available in early 2014. The company is describing its system, as well as some new research findings, in a Laser Focus World webcast on December 3, 2013; please join us for this (free) webcast, which will be presented by David Daughton, applications scientist at Lake Shore Cryotronics.
To register, visit: http://www.laserfocusworld.com/webcasts/2013/12/emerging-tools-for-materials-research.html
