The Office of Naval Research announced today the fabrication and demonstration of a new and revolutionary two-sided power transistor. Working under ONR funding, scientists at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C., developed a unique, low-temperature wafer bonding technique, termed Power-Bond, that uses commercial off-the-shelf fully processed silicon wafers to produce the world's first double-sided, 1-gigabyte power transistor. Ultimately, the optimized double-sided transistor will be as much as 5 to10 times more efficient than the best single-sided power transistors currently used in everything from appliances to power plants. By having MOS-control electrodes on both sides of a power transistor, the electrical current can pass unimpeded through the transistor from top to bottom and can be switched "on" and "off" more quickly and efficiently than the single-sided transistor, even at very high voltages. This improved efficiency will allow for high-frequency operation at unusually high voltages. These switches are ideal for Naval applications where high-power density systems are essential for propulsion, weapons and communications. ONR is specifically interested in applying this technology to electric ship initiatives and programs in electric launch and arrest of carrier-based aircraft.