Silicon is a substance that demands compromises. If you want fast electronics for your PC, you need the good stuff: single-crystal silicon. If you can do with somewhat slower electronics but need them to be thin and transparent for the screen of your laptop, you use slower amorphous silicon. A few years ago, attempting to achieve the best of both worlds, Sharp and Semiconductor Energy Laboratories in Japan collaborated to develop continuous-grain silicon, a new form of the element that's both transparent and relatively fast at carrying electrons. Now, applying the technology to assemble a rudimentary processor on the back of the pane of glass used for a liquid-crystal display (LCD), they have created a prototype "sheet computer."

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