News Release: Scientists at NREL Report New Synapse-Like Phototransistor
April 28, 2021
Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory
(NREL) developed a breakthrough in energy-efficient phototransistors. Such devices
could eventually help computers process visual information more like the human brain
and be used as sensors in things like self-driving vehicles.
The structures rely on a new type of semiconductor—metal-halide perovskites—which
have proven to be highly efficient at converting sunlight into electrical energy and
shown tremendous promise in a range of other technologies.
“In general, these perovskite semiconductors are a really unique functional system
with potential benefits for a number of different technologies,” said Jeffrey Blackburn,