Chipping in

While the last few years has seen a
revolution in optoelectronks,
there have been several
stumbling blocks
too. One such
obstacle is the
integration of optical
components with
silicon microchips.
But scientists
at the University
of California, Berkeley, may have
come up with a solution finally
(Science, Vol 268).

The idea is to hook
up micro-scopic lasers
directly onto the
chips. This is achieved by
a process called
"fludic self assembly", where the
lasers are mixed
with ethanol and
swished over silicon wafer on
which matching shapes
have been carved.
The lasers fit into
the holes and one gets a potential optoelectronk chip.