Breakthrough water-laser cell proved to be thousands of times faster than conventional semiconductors

Initially, iodine is added to pure water, which significantly reduces its conductivity. The water is passed through a special nozzle to produce a flat liquid jet several microns thick. A laser is fired into this jet, which knocks out the iodine ions, resulting in a dramatic increase in the conductivity of the water. A second laser “reads” this change and determines which of the two positions the system is in. In this way, the operation of a classical semiconductor is mimicked.