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Scientists make self-repairing chip breakthrough
Reported by Dean Wilson on Thursday, December 22 2011 10:23 pm
Researchers are close to developing self-repairing electronic chips, which could revolutionise the technology industry and even lead to safer space travel.
Researchers are close to developing self-repairing electronic chips, which could revolutionise the technology industry and even lead to safer space travel.
Scientists and engineers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign succeeded in creating a circuit that, when cracked, heals itself by releasing a conductivity-restoring liquid metal, which brings the circuit back online in less than a second.
The technology works by housing the healing liquid within the chip, and if the chip is damaged it should also damage the liquid container, releasing the liquid so that it can fill in any gaps and restore the flow of electricity.
Tests using gold and glass circuits with microcapsules containing the metallic liquid eutectic gallium-indium showed a drop of voltage to zero when cracked and a return to almost full voltage within one millisecond. These devices retained their conductivity for months after the damage and repair.
The breakthrough could affect every sector of technology, resulting in super long-lasting products. The scientists also believe it can help with satellites and space travel, since this is an area where manually repairing and replacing electronics is extremely difficult, expensive and time-consuming.
Source: BBC
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