Scientists at the University of Toronto have developed a simple, low-cost way of making light-sensitive semiconductors, which could have great significance for military and biological applications.

The researchers created the semiconductor device by simply painting a liquid containing semiconductor particles on to glass. The liquid was oleic acid, the main constituent of olive oil.

The resulting film was 10 times more sensitive to infrared light -- light beyond the red region of the visible spectrum -- than conventional semiconductor sensors, which are created by the expensive technique of growing crystals at high temperatures.