Silicon valley: Scanning electron microscopy image of the laser-irradiated silicon surface (inset), which resembles a fragment of Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah, USA.

And although it is expected that electron spins in silicon should survive long enough to perform useful spin functions, data on how far they can travel is scarce.

This leaves one silicon atom with a vacant location in its outer shell, called a "hole," that readily accepts an electron. Because the charge carriers are holes, p-type silicon is said to have a ...

A solar cell is made of two types of semiconductors, called p-type and n-type silicon. The p-type silicon is produced by adding atoms—such as boron or gallium—that have one less electron in their ...