Researchers have discovered that substrate-induced strain could be utilized to alternate an organic superconductor inside an insulator which would respond to av. Yoshitaka Kawasugi and others demonstrated that one could switch from a superconductor to an insulator. The researchers conducted studies on the ?-Br film which is usually found on silicon based substrates.

The funny thing is, the superconductor ?-(BEDT-TTF)2Cu[N(CN)2]Br—?-Br is an insulator at room temperature but when cooled to 50K, it turns into a metal. This could have far reaching consequences in the semiconductor industry. This research could help pave way to field-induced superconductivity in organic materials.

It is interesting how semiconductors and insulators are closely related and how a semiconductor can alternate from being a conductor and an insulator. Perhaps this would help in the manufacture of faster systems and also assist in building supercomputers.

Via: NanoTechNow