Chemists and engineers at Harvard University have made robust circuits from nanowires that align themselves on a chip of glass during low-temperature fabrication, creating rudimentary electronic devices that offer solid performance without high-temperature production or high-priced silicon.

The researchers, led by chemist Charles M. Lieber and engineer Donhee Ham, produced circuits at low temperature by running a nanowire-laced solution over a glass substrate, followed by regular photolithography to etch the pattern of a circuit.

They were able to produce nanowire-based ring oscillators operating at up to 11.7 megahertz, roughly 10,000 faster than other nanomaterial circuits.

The circuits could be used in devices such as low-cost radio-frequency tags and fully integrated high-refresh-rate displays, and could provide a foundation for more complex nanoelectronics.

Harvard University news release