'Living' electrodes breathe new life into traditional silicon electronics

Researchers have developed advanced terahertz photodetectors containing 'living' microelectrodes. A vanadium dioxide (VO2) layer was precisely deposited on a silicon substrate. Temperature regulation modulated the size of conductive metallic areas in VO2, forming a dynamic microelectrode network that selectively enhanced the response of the silicon substrate to terahertz light. These advanced photodetectors reveal the potential of modifiable metamaterials such as VO2 to overcome the performance limitations of traditional materials.