Researchers claim crystal could be technology enhancing

ASU electrical engineering professor Cun-Zheng Ning believes the material, called erbium chloride silicate, can be used to develop the next generations of computers, improve the capabilities of the internet, increase the efficiency of silicon-based photovoltaic cells and enhance the quality of solid-state lighting and sensor technology.

The breakthrough involves the first-ever synthesis of an erbium compound in the form of a single-crystal nanowire, which has superior properties compared to erbium compounds in other forms.

Erbium is one of the most important members of the rare earth family in the periodic table of chemical elements as it emits photons in the wavelength range of 1.5 micrometres, which are used in the optical fibres essential to high-quality performance of the internet and telephones.

Erbium is used in doping optical fibres to amplify the signal of the internet and telephones in telecommunications systems. Doping alters the electrical or optical properties of materials to produce the desired results.