On 11 October, The New York Times published an article about the development of a new material, ‘black silicon’, which has great potential for use in digital imaging.

 

October 15, 2008: On 11 October, The New York Times published an article about the development of a new material, ‘black silicon’, which has great potential for use in digital imaging.
Developed by a team of Harvard physicists led by Dr. Eric Mazur, the new material is between 100 and 500 times more sensitive than conventional silicon detectors but can be manufactured by current semiconductor manufacturing plants. Harvard has licensed patents for black silicon to SiOnyx, a company in Beverly, Massachusetts, which has raised US$11 million in venture funding. SiOnyx has begun to commercialise sensor-based chips as a technology development platform for other companies and for use in future infrared imaging systems.
The story of the discovery can be read at http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/12/business/12stream.html?_r=1&oref=slogin.