GRAVITY is great to have around for activities like walking or skydiving. But
try growing the huge crystals or “wafers” of semiconductor from which
microprocessors and memory chips are fashioned, and it becomes a serious
nuisance. Now a team of Chinese researchers has underlined the point by showing
that electronic devices made from crystals grown in space can outperform those
made from crystals grown here on Earth. The discovery may even provide a
commercial raison d’être for the International Space Station—whose
purpose remains a mystery to many commentators.
The team, from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the…
