3. Read the text. What advances in electronics does the author describe? electronics in the future

At present, the semiconductors in use in electronics are elements (silicon, germanium) or inorganic compounds (cadmium sulphide, gallium arsenide). Now the semiconducting properties of some of the organic compounds are under investigation. For example, it has been shown that a film of phenylenevinylene emits a greenish yellow light when a p.d. of 1.5 V is applied across it. This organic LED has very low efficiency, but research is showing ways of increasing this. Advances in this field will no doubt lead to the discovery of new organic semiconductors and eventually to a range of components based on this new technology.

Another branch of electronic research seeks to produce the smallest possible components, consisting of single molecules. The behaviour of certain kinds of molecules is analogous to the behaviour of semiconductor materials. It is feasible that we could design and build molecules that will perform the same functions as transistors and other semiconducting devices. Molecular electronics, as it is called, would allow circuits to be made very much smaller than is possible with techniques for fabricating integrated circuits from semiconductors.

One line of research is aimed at producing chemically assembled electronic nanocomputers, or CAENs.

Electron electronics is the name given to the technology of devices that operate using single electrons. These could be the smallest and the fastest of all future components. Not only would they be fast, but they would permit the highest possible density of data storage. There will also be many problems to overcome — how to connect the single-electron devices together, and how to interface them to the outside world.

Now that microprocessors and microcontrollers are so versatile and cheap, the design and testing of a new system is easy. If there is a function to be performed and there is no IC ready-made to perform it, take a general-purpose microcontroller, equip it with the necessary electronic sensors and output devices, then program it to perform that function. Once this stratum of electronic circuit design has been reached, there is less need for new circuit designs and new ICs.

Software is taking over many of the functions formerly fulfilled by complex electronic circuits. For example, instead of using capacitors and inductors to build an audio filter, we can perform the same task by letting a computer or microcontroller operate in real time on the digitized audio signal, and with superior performance.

It seems that the principal contribution of electronics in the foreseeable future will be to provide the means for building up massive computing power. But, whatever the future holds, it is clear that electronics will continue to play a major part in all of our lives.

4. Answer the following questions.

1. What is an example of organic component?

2. How can organic components be advanced?

3. What will the smallest possible components consist of?

4. What does molecular electronics study?

5. How is the branch of electronics that studies devices that operate using single electrons called?

6. How can you use general-purpose microcontroller to perform the neede function?

7. How does the software substitute formerly fulfilled tasks?

8. What will be the principal future contribution of electronics?