The blue LED was supposed to be impossible—until a young engineer proposed a moonshot idea.

    • collapse_already@lemmy.ml
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      10 months ago

      I imagine that lithography for integrated circuits would be an application, assuming you could make an appropriate photo-resist. The shorter the wavelength, the smaller the possible feature size. Current lithography relies on constructive and destructive interference between wavelengths to create super small features.

      • ColeSloth
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        10 months ago

        As far as “light” it’s already capped out, then. Going shorter there’s only x-ray and then Gamma ray. Gamma ray lithography sounds bad-ass and dangerous.

        • JATth@lemmy.world
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          9 months ago

          Gamma rays have so much energy that they are basically emitted only by nuclear processes, as far as I know.

          • ColeSloth
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            9 months ago

            Until we stick it in an led!

            I guess past the uv range we should just call them ED, but then you only think about erectile dysfunction.