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The physics of devices, with the numbers.

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108×from a 10 mm die to one atom

25.9meV

The thermal energy every transistor works against.

Electronics

1.12eV

Silicon’s band gap. Lower the barrier and current flows.

Semiconductors

2.3eV

Silicon is transparent at 1550 nm and absorbs green.

Photonics

Fig. 1One energy scale, four subjects.CODATA 2018, materials library,
Electronics25.9 meVthermal energy at 300 KSemiconductors1.12 eVsilicon band gapPhotonics2.3 eVa green photonQuantum physics13.6 eVfrees hydrogen’s electron10 meV100 meV1 eV10 eV← smaller energieslarger energies →Electronics25.9 meVthermal energy at 300 KSemiconductors1.12 eVsilicon band gapPhotonics2.3 eVa green photonQuantum physics13.6 eVfrees hydrogen’s electron10 meV1 eV10 eV← smaller energieslarger energies →

Four subjects

Photos: Nilhope, Enrique Jiménez, Tobias Hanf, Gavin Morley (Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA).

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