Although 2020 has been a difficult year for many of us, there are still people who prove that we can come out of it with some positive events and incidents. And as the world proceeds into its continuous development of technology, scientists continue their attempts to achieve breakthroughs in the field. Recently, the Physics World Magazine announced that Egyptian scientist and researcher, Elham Fadaly and her team at the Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands won the Physics World 2020 Breakthrough of the Year. Fadaly was announced the winner for making a silicon-based material with a direct bandgap to emit light to transfer communication data.
Silicon is one of the most common elements used in computer manufacturing, and many scientists have been keen on finding ways for the emission of light from silicon. Until Ms. Fadaly and her research team at the Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands came along. Ms. Fadaly and her team added a huge advancement to the world of computing by figuring out how to make silicon emit light.
Elham Fadaly is a Ph.D. Candidate, who received her Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Electronics Engineering from AUC in 2013. She was a researcher in the Kavli Institute of Nanoscience at the Delft University of Technology and received her Master of Science (MSc) in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology – Nanoelectronics from Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden.