> just three atoms tall, technically making them 2D rather than 3D objects
No. It makes them very short 3D objects unless they are either no atoms wide or no atoms deep.
A team of scientists at the University of Washington (UW) have created the world's thinnest LED that is both flexible and stackable, making a new class of handheld devices and light-driven processor chips feasible. LED Team shine light on single layer LEDs ... a plane of the 2D lights "These are 10,000 times smaller than …
"No. It makes them very short 3D objects..."
No, it makes them four dimensional as they begin and an end at a point in time. There's also an outside chance they have more dimensions; it depends which God TOE you believe in.
Alternatively, you could accept that for all intents and purposes a couple of atoms thick counts as two dimensional.
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Since when is an atom a unit of measurement of height? For a start, are you referring to the 32 pm helium atoms or the 200+ pm caesium atoms? Why stop at atoms? Protons are a lot smaller at 1.7 fm but I digress.
2D exists only as an abstract concept to help us to work with surface areas and planes. Just because something is abstract doesn't make it any less useful (see √-1 for example).
So small; yes
impressive; yes
Could be considered 2D for many purposes; of course but so can a piece of paper.
2D; nope
Well I agree with the sentiment you're probably subscribed to the wrong news outlet if you want to see consumer goods as they arrive.
A lot of articles here are about new technology, not consumer products but cutting edge technology that in many cases will never see the bright lights of Wal-Mart. The technological advance in the last 4 decades had been huge, not everything made it to shop floors but every piece technology you own started with a small group of scientists making breakthroughs like this.
"Well I agree with the sentiment you're probably subscribed to the wrong news outlet if you want to see consumer goods as they arrive."
While that is true enough, I'd not be surprised to see the kinks ironed out for commercial processing techniques within a few years and production of circuits in a 5-7 year time frame.
Optical signalling in molecular size arrays is rather a holy grail quest as frequencies rise, capacitive and inductive losses accumulate.
Still, if it pans out as practical and efficient, let's call it a decade so that high efficiency devices are available.
Or, the entire deal may prove impractical for production and nothing will ever see the light of day.
This could go right to glowing fabrics. While no doubt will be popular with the rave set, it could revolutionize safety garments as reflective strips that are illuminated at night, easier to see before they're in headlight range. That'd benefit highway and utility workers. And joggers and cyclists too, and small kiddies crossing the street, etc.
Wait until they put those strips on sneakers, walking during the day will charge the batteries.
tbh there is no reason why existing tech can't be used for safety. Still, glowing fabric is a good idea too.
Light emmitting DIODES people! DIODES, as used in easly logic circuits. This could have all sorts of digital applications. (Key of course is the electrical characteristics)
So they're trying the sicky tape approach with other materials and seeing whats useful. Better jump to it or someone else will patent the results....
Hmm... Duct tape is so much better.... And I think even mythbusters got the Saami Rocket happening....
I wonder.... B-)
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Pixels only a few atoms thick and wide?
Yeah, but you'd probably only get one photon at a time out of each of them. Pixel density doesn't need to exceed what the human eye can distinguish and there also has to be a lower limit to the luminosity else we won't be able to see much. A wall-sized screen with a low weight and low energy consumption would seem possible; the majority of it in practice would be a surface sturdy enough to stop your toddler licking the pixels off your telly.
Because otherwise you'd have light coming from a surface about 1/1000 of a wavelength wide.
Which would would be impressive.
BTW it's emissions band is also voltage tuneable which could enable a whole bunch of other applications, as well as possible laser architectures.
But of course this is v 0.1 tech.
Cautious thumbs up.