Category Archives: LEDs

By Pete Singer

Luc Van den Hove, president and CEO of imec

Luc Van den Hove, president and CEO of imec

Speaking at imec’s International Technology Forum USA yesterday afternoon at the Marriott Marquis, Luc Van den Hove, president and CEO of imec, provided a glimpse of society’s future and explained how semiconductor technology will play a key role. From everything the IoT to early diagnosis of cancer through cell sorters, liquid biopsies and high-performance sequencing, technology will enable “endless complexity increase,” he said.

Other developments, almost all of which are being worked on at imec, include self-learning neuromorphic chips, brain implants, artificial intelligence, 5G, IoT and sensors, augmented and virtual reality, high resolution (5000 ppi) OLED displays, EOG based eye tracking and haptic feedback devices. He also acknowledged the critical importance of security issues, but suggested a solution. He noted that each chip has its own fingerprint due to nanoscale variability. That’s been a problem for the industry but we could “turn this limitation into an advantage,” he said, with an approach called PUFs — Physical Unclonable Functions (Figure 1).

Figure 1. Nanoscale variability has been a problem for the industry but we could be turned into an advantage with PUFs -- Physical Unclonable Functions.

Figure 1. Nanoscale variability has been a problem for the industry but we could be turned into an advantage with PUFs — Physical Unclonable Functions.

At the forum, imec also announced that its researchers, in collaboration with scientists from KU Leuven in Belgium and Pisa University in Italy, have performed the first material-device-circuit level co-optimization of field-effect transistors (FETs) based on 2D materials for high-performance logic applications scaled beyond the 10nm technology node. Imec also presented novel designs that would allow using mono-layer 2D materials to enable Moore’s law even below 5nm gate length. Additionally, imec announced that it demonstrated an electrically functional 5nm solution for Back-End-of-Line interconnects.

FETs based on 2D materials

2D materials, a family of materials that form two-dimensional crystals, may be used to create the ultimate transistor with a channel thickness down to the level of single atoms and gate length of few nanometers. A key driver that allowed the industry to follow Moore’s Law and continue producing ever more powerful chips was the continued scaling of the gate length. To counter the resulting negative short-channel effects, chip manufacturers have already moved from planar transistors to FinFETs. They are now introducing other transistor architectures such as nanowire FETs. The work reported by imec looks further, replacing the transistor channel material, with 2D materials as some of the prime candidates.

Figure 2. 2D materials, with the atomically-precise dimension control they enable, promise to become key materials for future innovations.

Figure 2. 2D materials, with the atomically-precise dimension control they enable, promise to become key materials for future innovations.

In a paper published in Scientific Reports, the imec scientists and their colleagues presented guidelines on how to choose materials, design the devices and optimize performance to arrive at circuits that meet the requirements for sub-10nm high-performance logic chips. Their findings demonstrate the need to use 2D materials with anisotropicity and a smaller effective mass in the transport direction. Using one such material, monolayer black-phosphorus, the researchers presented novel device designs that pave the way to even further extend Moore’s law into the sub-5nm gate length. These designs reveal that for sub-5nm gate lengths, 2D electrostatics arising from gate stack design become more of a challenge than direct source-to-drain tunneling. These results are very encouraging, because in the case of 3D semiconductors, such as Si, scaling gate length so aggressively is practically impossible.

“2D materials, with the atomically-precise dimension control they enable, promise to become key materials for future innovations. With advancing R&D, we see opportunities emerging in domains such as photonics, optoelectronics, (bio)sensing, energy storage, photovoltaics, and also transistor scaling. Many of these concepts have already been demonstrated in the labs,” says Iuliana Radu, distinguished member of technical staff at imec. “Our latest results presented in Scientific Reports, show how 2D materials could be used to scale FETs for very advanced technology nodes.”

5nm Solution for BEOL

The announced electrically functional solution for 5nm back-end-of-line (BEOL) is a full dual-damascene module in combination with multi-patterning and multi-blocking. Scaling boosters and aggressive design rules pave the way to even smaller dimensions.

As R&D progresses towards the 5nm technology node, the tiny Cu wiring schemes in the chips’ BEOL are becoming more complex and compact. Shrinking the dimensions also reduces the wires cross-sectional area, driving up the resistance-capacitance product (RC) of the interconnect systems and thus increasing signal delay. To overcome the RC delay challenge and enable further improvements in interconnect performance, imec explores new materials, process modules and design solutions for future chip generations.

One viable option is to extend the Cu-based dual-damascene technology – the current workhorse process flow for interconnects – into the next technology nodes. Imec has demonstrated that the 5nm BEOL can be realized with a full dual-damascene module using multi-patterning solutions. With this flow, trenches are created with critical dimensions of 12nm at 16nm. Metal-cuts (or blocks) perpendicular to the trenches are added in order to create electrically functional lines and then the trenches are filled with metal. Area scaling is further pushed through the introduction of fully self-aligned vias. Moreover, aggressive design rules are explored to better control the variability of the metal tip-to-tips (T2Ts).

Figure 3. Dense-pitch blocks enabled by a dual damascene flow and multi-patterning. The pattern is etched into the low-k and metallized.

Figure 3. Dense-pitch blocks enabled by a dual damascene flow and multi-patterning. The pattern is etched into the low-k and metallized.

Beyond 5nm, imec is exploring alternative metals that can potentially replace Cu as a conductor. Among the candidates identified, low-resistive Ruthenium (Ru) demonstrated great promise. The imec team has realized Ru nanowires in scaled dimensions, with 58nm2 cross-sectional area, exhibiting a low resistivity, robust wafer-level reliability, and oxidation resistance – eliminating the need for a diffusion barrier.

“The emergence of RC delay issues started several technology nodes ago, and has become increasingly more challenging at each node. Through innovations in materials and process schemes, new BEOL architectures and system/technology co-optimization, we can overcome this challenge as far as the 5nm node”, said Zsolt Tokei, imec’s director of the nano-interconnect program. “Imec and its partners have shown attainable options for high density area scaled logic blocks for future nodes, which will drive the supplier community for future needs.”

For the longer term, imec is investigating different options including but not limited to alternative metals, insertion of self-assembled monolayers or alternative signaling techniques such as low-energy spin-wave propagation in magnetic waveguides, exploiting the electron’s spin to transport the signal. For example, the researchers have experimentally shown that spin waves can travel over several micrometers, the distance required by short and medium interconnects in equivalent spintronic circuits.

Renewed investigation of a molecule that was originally synthesized with the goal of creating a unique light-absorbing pigment has led to the establishment of a novel design strategy for efficient light-emitting molecules with applications in next-generation displays and lighting.

Researchers at Kyushu University’s Center for Organic Photonics and Electronics Research (OPERA) demonstrated that a molecule that slightly changes its chemical structure before and after emission can achieve a high efficiency in organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs).

In addition to producing vibrant colors, OLEDs can be fabricated into everything from tiny pixels to large and flexible panels, making them extremely attractive for displays and lighting.

In an OLED, electrical charges injected into thin films of organic molecules come together to form packets of energy – called excitons – that can produce light emission.

The goal is to convert all of the excitons to light, but three-fourths of the created excitons are triplets, which do not produce light in conventional materials, while the remaining one-fourth are singlets, which emit through a process called fluorescence.

Inclusion of a rare metal, such as iridium or platinum, in a molecule can enable rapid emission from the triplets through phosphorescence, which is currently the dominant technology for highly efficient OLEDs.

An alternative mechanism is the use of heat in the environment to give triplets an energetic boost that is sufficient to convert them into light-emitting singlets.

This process, known as thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF), easily occurs at room temperature in appropriately designed molecules and has the added advantage of avoiding the cost and reduced molecular design freedom associated with rare metals.

However, most TADF molecules still rely on the same basic design approach.

“Many new TADF molecules are being reported each month, but we keep seeing the same underlying design with electron-donating groups connected to electron-accepting groups,” says Masashi Mamada, lead researcher on the study reporting the new results.

“Finding fundamentally different molecular designs that also exhibit efficient TADF is a key to unlocking new properties, and in this case, we found one by looking at the past with a new perspective.”

Currently, combinations of donating and accepting units are primarily used because they provide a relatively simple way to push around the electrons in a molecule and obtain the conditions needed for TADF.

Although the method is effective and a huge variety of combinations is possible, new strategies are still desired in the quest to find perfect or unique emitters.

The mechanism explored by the researchers this time involves the reversible transfer of a hydrogen atom – technically, just its positive nucleus – from one atom in the emitting molecule to another in the same molecule to create an arrangement conducive to TADF.

This transfer occurs spontaneously when the molecule is excited with optical or electrical energy and is known as excited-state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT).

This ESIPT process is so important in the investigated molecules that quantum chemical calculations by the researchers indicate that TADF is not possible before transfer of the hydrogen.

After excitation, the hydrogen rapidly transfers to a different atom in the molecule, leading to a molecular structure capable of TADF.

The hydrogen transfers back to its initial atom after the molecule emits light, and the molecule is then ready to repeat the process.

Although TADF from an ESIPT molecule has been reported previously, this is the first demonstration of highly efficient TADF observed inside and outside of a device.

This vastly different design strategy opens the door for achieving TADF with a variety of new chemical structures that would not have been considered based on previous strategies.

Interestingly, the molecule the researchers used was most likely a disappointment when first synthesized nearly 20 years ago by chemists hoping to create a new pigment only to discover that the molecule is colorless.

“Organic molecules never cease to amaze me,” says Professor Chihaya Adachi, Director of OPERA. “Many paths with different advantages and disadvantages exist for achieving the same goal, and we have still only scratched the surface of what is possible.”

The advantages of this design strategy are just beginning to be explored, but one particularly promising area is related to stability.

Molecules similar to the investigated one are known to be highly resistant to degradation, so researchers hope that these kinds of molecules might help to improve the lifetime of OLEDs.

To see if this is the case, tests are now underway.

While only time will tell how far this particular strategy will go, the continually growing options for OLED emitters certainly bode well for their future.

Pixelligent Technologies, a nanocomposite advanced materials manufacturer, announced today that it has been awarded grant funding from the Department of Energy SBIR program and the Department of Defense STTR program, that totals a combined $2.15 million. This funding will be used to accelerate and further develop a diverse range of applications leveraging Pixelligent’s core PixClear® nanocomposite technology.

“The grants from the Dept. of Energy will help to extend our technology leadership in OLED lighting applications. These SBIR Phase I and Phase IIB grants will allow Pixelligent to further extend our OLED light extraction materials to enable next generation flexible OLED lighting applications. The STTR Phase II grant from the Dept. of Defense will support our continued collaboration with the University of Pennsylvania and Argonne National Laboratory to further the development of PixClear — enabled gear oils for improving the lifetime and energy-efficiency of gear boxes and drive trains,” said Gregory Cooper, PhD, CTO & Founder of Pixelligent.

“We are proud to have been selected for these three grant awards from the Department of Energy and Department of Defense. These are highly competitive programs and theses awards point to the broad applicability of our materials, which can deliver unparalleled efficiency gains in applications ranging from OLED technology to lubricant additives,” said Craig Bandes, President & CEO of Pixelligent.

Through grant awards and private funding, Pixelligent has emerged as one of the only companies that has developed a truly disruptive manufacturing and advanced material technology platform for commercializing the promise of nanotechnology. This was recently recognized by Frost & Sullivan who honored Pixelligent with the 2017 Manufacturer of the Year award for SMB under $1B in revenues.

Umicore’s business unit Precious Metals Chemistry today inaugurated its production unit for advanced metal organic precursor technologies used in the semiconductor and LED markets, respectively TMGa (Trimethylgallium) and TEGa (Triethylgallium). The event was attended by European and overseas customers as well as local and regional politicians. The guest of honor was Dr. Barbara Hendricks, Germany’s Federal Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety.

Umicore’s TMGa manufacturing process is innovative and unique. It offers a more sustainable and ecological production method by minimizing hazardous side streams and material losses and optimizing yield to nearly 100%.

Dr. Lothar Mussmann, Vice-President of Umicore Precious Metals Chemistry said, “I am proud that this patented innovation has now become a world-class and industrial scale manufacturing plant. It will provide benefits for our customers and the environment and underlines Umicore’s position as a pioneer in sustainable technologies.”

Umicore Precious Metals Chemistry is the only European manufacturer of TMGa and TEGa and supplies customers across the world from its Hanau manufacturing base. Umicore Precious Metals Chemistry helps to reduce cost of ownership through its innovative approach to process chemistry and its collaborative approach with customers and end users.

About Trimethylgallium and Umicore’s manufacturing process

Trimethylgallium (TMGa) is a colorless liquid with very high vapor pressure, which boils at low temperatures. Umicore’s new production process increases the yield of TMGa in comparison with current production technologies. In this way, organic solvents can be completely dispensed with. The TMGa is prepared by chemically reacting gallium trichloride with a more efficient methylating agent in molten salt. This reduces the amount of waste per kilogram of TMGa by more than 50%, with the resulting intermediates being recycled in the process. The finished product is then used in the semiconductor industry, where it evaporates in closed systems onto a substrate. This creates, for example, environmentally friendly LED lamps.

Pixelligent Technologies, a developer of high-index advanced materials (PixClear) for displays, solid state lighting and optical components, announces that it has been named the 2017 Manufacturer of the Year by Frost & Sullivan. It won this award in the small/midsize company category for companies with revenues under $1B, for its PixClearProcess that is revolutionizing chemical composite technology. The winner for the large company 2017 Manufacturer of the Year was Dow Chemical.

Over the past five years, Pixelligent has invested over $20 million in designing and building its advanced product development and manufacturing platform, the PixClearProcess. This proprietary platform has enabled Pixelligent to scale from a manufacturing capacity of grams-per-year, to one of the most sophisticated and highly capital efficient manufacturing lines in the world, capable of mass production volumes in the tons.

“We are deeply honored to be named the 2017 Manufacturer of the Year by Frost & Sullivan. It’s especially gratifying as we competed against some of the most respected high-tech manufacturers in the world. This award is also a great recognition of what we are most proud of, namely the balanced approach we have executed in developing both one of the most innovative materials in the world alongside one of the most advanced manufacturing lines in the world,” remarked Craig Bandes, CEO, Pixelligent Technologies.

The Company’s breakthrough PixClearProcess allows its customers to more efficiently tune and magnify the desired optical, mechanical, and electrical properties of their formulations with unprecedented levels of precision. Depending on product performance requirements, incorporating PixClear can deliver the highest possible light extraction, near perfect transmission, increased mechanical strength, and dramatic improvements in overall operating efficiencies. We enable our customers to deliver unprecedented levels of performance for OLED and HD displays, LED and OLED lighting devices, and optical components.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. today announced that it has begun mass producing a new mid-power LED package, the LM301B, which features the industry’s highest luminous efficacy of 220 lumens per watt. The package is well suited for a range of LED lighting applications including ambient lighting, downlights and most retrofit lamps.

Samsung was able to achieve its industry-leading efficacy (@ 65mA, 5000K, CRI 80+) by incorporating an advanced flip-chip package design and state-of-the-art phosphor technology. The LM301B’s flip-chip design uses a highly reflective layer-formation technology to enhance light efficacy at the chip level. Also, a complete separation between its red phosphor film and green phosphors allows minimal interference during the phosphor conversion process, resulting in higher efficacy than conventional phosphor structures. These combined technology enhancements enable a 10-percent increase in overall efficacy compared to competing 3030 platform packages, without compromising on premium-quality light output.

“With our LM301B, we are able to deliver even greater mid-power value and help lower the total cost of ownership for LED lighting manufacturers,” said Jacob Tarn, Executive Vice President of LED Business Team at Samsung Electronics. “Thanks to advancements like the LM301B, Samsung will continue to drive innovation in next-generation LED technologies.”

Samples of the LM301B are available now.

Samsung_LED_Mid-power_package_LM301B

 

Javier Vela, scientist at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Ames Laboratory, believes improvements in computer processors, TV displays and solar cells will come from scientific advancements in the synthesis of low-dimensional nanomaterials.

Ames Laboratory scientists are known for their expertise in the synthesis and manufacturing of materials of different types, according to Vela, who is also an Iowa State University associate professor of chemistry. In many instances, those new materials are made in bulk form, which means micrometers to centimeters in size. Vela’s group is working with tiny, nanometer, or one billionth of a meter sized, nanocrystals.

“We’re trying to find out what happens with materials when we go to lower particle sizes, will the materials be enhanced or negatively impacted, or will we find properties that weren’t expected,” Vela said. “Our goal is to broaden the science of low-dimensional nanomaterials.” In an invited paper published in Chemistry of Materials entitled, “Synthetic Development of Low Dimensional Materials”, Vela and coauthors Long Men, Miles White, Himashi Andaraarachchi, and Bryan Rosales discussed highlights of some of their most recent work on the synthesis of low dimensional materials.

One of those topics was advancements in the synthesis of germanium-based core-shell nanocrystals. Vela says industry is very interested in semiconducting nanocrystal-based technologies for applications such as solar cells.

Small particle size can affect many things from transport properties (how well a nanocrystal conducts heat and electricity) to optical properties (how strong it interacts with light, absorbs light and emits light). This is especially true in photovoltaic solar cells “Let’s say you’re using a semiconductor material to make a solar device, there’s often different performance when solar cells are made from bulk materials as opposed to when they are made with nanomaterials. Nanomaterials interact with light differently; they absorb it better. That’s one way you can manipulate devices and fine tune their performance or power conversion efficiency,” said Vela.

Beyond solar cells, Vela says there’s tremendous interest in using nanocrystals in quantum dot television and computer displays, optical devices like LEDs (light-emitting diodes), biological imaging, and telecommunications.

He says there are many challenges in this area because depending upon the quality of the nanocrystals used, you can see different emission properties, which can affect the purity of light. “Ultimately the size of the nanocrystals being used can make a huge difference in the cleanliness or crispness of colors in TV and computer displays,” said Vela. “Television and computer technology is a multibillion dollar business worldwide, so you can see the potential value our understanding of properties of nanocrystals could bring to these technologies.”

In the paper, Vela’s group also discussed advancements made in the study of synthesis and spectroscopic characterization of organolead halide perovskites, which Vela says are some of the most promising semiconductors for solar cells because of their low cost and easier processability. He adds photovoltaics made of these materials now reach power conversion efficiencies of greater than 22 percent. Vela’s research in this area has focused on mixed-halide perovskites. He says his group has discovered these materials exhibit interesting chemical and photo physical properties that people hadn’t realized before, and now they are trying to better understand the correlation between the structure and chemical composition of perovskites and how they behave in solar cells. “One of our goals is to use what we’ve learned to help lower the cost of solar cells and produce them more reliably and readily,” Vela said.

In addition, Vela’s group is studying how to replace lead in traditional organolead halide perovskites with something less toxic, like germanium. “In principle, this is an area that should be much better known, but it’s not,” said Vela. “When we’ve been able to substitute germanium for lead, we have been able to produce a lighter perovskite, which he says could positively impact the automotive industry, for example.

“This could have great implications for transportation applications where you don’t want a lot of lead because it’s so heavy,” said Vela. Going forward Vela says his group’s focus will be on advancing the science in low-dimensional materials.

“We’re not working with well-known materials, but the newest; the most recently discovered,” Vela said. “And every time we can advance the science we’re one step closer to opportunities for more commercialization, more production, more manufacturing and more jobs in the U.S.”

Osram Opto Semiconductors today presented the latest generation of surface-mountable LED, the Topled E1608, with a package smaller than its predecessor models by a factor of 20. Despite this considerable miniaturization, the low-power LED is bright, reliable and robust, offering greater options and design flexibility, particularly for car interior applications.

ThinGaN, thin film and Sapphire – the new Topled E1608 LEDs from Osram Opto Semiconductors are based on the latest chip technologies. In combination with the latest high-efficiency converters, the low-power LEDs produce outstanding performance values. At a normal operating current of 20 mA, the new Topleds are 3.6 times brighter than preceding models. The converted pure green version, for example, achieves the impressive and unprecedented value of 780 mcd at 10 mA. For the package, Osram uses tried and tested pre-mold technology, but reduced in size compared to the previous version. The E1608 in the name refers to the more compact package dimensions of 1.6 mm x 0.8 mm compared to the standard Topled measuring 3.2 mm x 2.8 mm. At 0.6 mm, the E1608 height is also considerably less than the previous height of 1.9 mm.

Due to the new package dimensions, the E1608 can now be used for more compact customer systems.

“The new Topled E1608 LEDs are some of the smallest LEDs in their class, offering reliability, a wide selection of colors and impressive performance values,” said Michael Godwin, Director, World Wide Interior Automotive Products, Osram Opto Semiconductors. “In addition, they are suitable for all customer requirements – whether the application is toward the top or bottom of the brightness range. We anticipate they will become firmly established in the market and may eventually define a new industry standard. These robust LEDs are suitable particularly for the automotive sector for applications such as displays, ambient lighting and backlighting of switches and instruments.”

Osram’s next-gen Topled will be available in numerous colors – from yellow and orange to super red, white, pure green and true green as part of the current market launch, expected to be the first of an entire series throughout the remainder of 2017.

OSRAM-TOPLED-20E-product

Imec, a research and innovation hub in nano-electronics and digital technology, announced today that it has developed 200V and 650V normally-off/enhancement mode (e-mode) on 200mm/8-inch GaN-on-Silicon wafers, achieving a very low dynamic Ron dispersion (below 20 percent) and state-of-the-art performance and reproducibility. Stress tests have also shown a good device reliability. Imec’s technology is ready for prototyping, customized low-volume production as well as for technology transfer.

GaN technology offers faster switching power devices with higher breakdown voltage and lower on-resistance than silicon (Si), making it an ideal material for advanced power electronic components. Imec’s GaN-on-Si device technology is Au-free and compatible with the wafer handling and contamination requirements for processing in a Si fab. A key component of the GaN device structure is the buffer layer, which is required to accommodate the large difference in lattice parameters and thermal expansion coefficient between the AlGaN/GaN materials system and the Si substrate. Imec achieved a breakthrough development in the buffer design (patent pending), allowing to grow buffers qualified for 650 Volt on large diameter 200mm wafers. This, in combination with the choice of the Si substrate thickness and doping increased the GaN substrate yield on 200mm to competitive levels, enabling low-cost production of GaN power devices. Also, the cleaning and dielectric deposition conditions have been optimized, and the field plate design (a common technique for achieving performance  improvement) has been extensively studied. As a result, the devices exhibit dynamic Ron dispersion below 20% up till 650 Volt over the full temperature range from 25°C to 150°C. This means that there is almost no change in the transistor on-state after switching from the off-state, a challenge typical for GaN technology.

“Having pioneered the development of GaN-on-Si power device technology on large diameter substrates (200mm/8-inch), imec now offers companies access to its normally-off/e-mode GaN power device technology through prototyping, low-volume manufacturing as well as via a full technology transfer” stated Stefaan Decoutere, program director for GaN technology at imec. “Next to enhancement mode power device switches, imec also provides lateral Schottky diodes for power switching applications. Based on imec’s proprietary device architecture, the diode combines low turn-on voltage with low leakage current, up to 650V – a combination that is very challenging to achieve.”

si wafer

The State University of New York ranked 38th in the “Top 100 Worldwide Universities Granted U.S. Utility Patents for 2016,” according to the National Academy of Inventors (NAI) and Intellectual Property Owners Association (IPO), which publishes the ranking annually based on U.S. Patent and Trademark Office data.

SUNY campuses were awarded 57 U.S. utility patents for advances in biotechnology, cancer research, manufacturing, renewable energy, and much more.

“Across SUNY, our faculty and students partner to make groundbreaking discoveries in a broad spectrum of areas,” said SUNY Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher. “Through more than 1,300 U.S. patents earned to date, SUNY research has led to hundreds of new technologies and advances that address society’s greatest challenges and have a positive impact on quality of life in New York and beyond. Congratulations to all those at SUNY whose important work has elevated us to this prominent world ranking.”

“This recognition marks a terrific accomplishment for our growing number of SUNY research faculty, who work tirelessly to mentor students while engaging them in research opportunities that advance the frontiers of knowledge and address state and global challenges,” said SUNY Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor, and NAI Fellow, Alexander N. Cartwright. “Our faculty, a number of whom are NAI members, are a tremendous source of pride for SUNY.”

“From energy, to medicine, to consumer technologies and more, innovation is at an all-time high throughout New York State, and SUNY is at the center of it,” said SUNY Vice Chancellor for Research and Economic Development Grace Wang. “With a multitude of influential research institutions, supported by the largest, most comprehensive university-connected research foundation in the country, SUNY is driving positive change across the globe.”

Research at SUNY produces more than 100 new technologies every year. SUNY inventors have contributed to some of the most transformative technologies in history, including the heart-lung machine, bar code scanner, MRI, and several FDA-approved therapeutics. Some recent SUNY innovations include:

University at Albany is helping law enforcement fight crime by using scattered light to perform microscopic analysis of biological and chemical samples, an approach that allows investigators to immediately confirm the source of biological stains found at crime scenes.

Binghamton University may one day cut air conditioning costs dramatically by creating light-filtering dyes that, when applied to glass, block heat while letting light pass through.

University at Buffalo is testing a reengineered hormonal treatment for diabetes and obesity. Telemedicine will be used to link children and their families to treatment they would otherwise only have access to in a local office or school.

SUNY Downstate Medical Center is working toward a lower-power, more stable alternative to implantable cardioverter defibrillators to re-start the heart. The technology re-purposes a nerve stimulator to use the body’s own nervous system to control the heart.

SUNY-ESF researchers have developed a “Trojan Horse” to attack cancer cells using special polymers that trick cancer cells into directly ingesting chemotherapeutic drugs so they are destroyed from the inside out, thus reducing damage to normal cells.

Upstate Medical University is advancing concussion assessment through a new set of cognitive tests that will help doctors and clinicians properly diagnose and manage concussions.

SUNY College at Optometry researchers have suggested that targeting a cell’s communication channels or gap junction could slow the progress of glaucoma.

SUNY Polytechnic Institute researchers invented a nanoscale scaffold that mimics the human eye which can help test possible glaucoma drugs and other therapeutics.

Stony Brook University redesigned a catheter that incorporates LED lights to reduce the likelihood of infection after the device is inserted into a patient’s body.