Scientists from Shanghai have developed a new material that can be used to develop two-dimensional computer chips with low power consumption. This could significantly improve the energy efficiency of the chips, which could also have a positive effect on the lifespan of smartphone batteries.
Low-power, high-performance chips based on this material would also support the sustainable development of 5G, artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things and other fields, and promote the popularization of the next generation of smart devices, the researchers said.
As electronic devices become smaller and more powerful, the number of transistors continues to increase, even as the chips themselves become smaller.
Experts explained that when the thickness of traditional silicon-based transistor materials is reduced to the nanometer level, their insulating ability decreases significantly, resulting in current leakage. This not only increases the chip’s power consumption, but also leads to increased heat generation, which affects the stability and lifetime of a device.
To solve the problem, a team of scientists at the Shanghai Institute of Microsystems and Information Technology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences developed an innovative metal intercalation oxidation technology and used it to create a sapphire crystal dielectric used in the development of low-power, high-performance 2D chips.
An article about the breakthrough was published on Wednesday in the international journal Nature.
2D semiconductor materials are ideal for the next generation of integrated circuit chips. Samsung is working on applying such materials to the manufacture of high-frequency, low-power chips. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co is researching how to integrate such materials into existing semiconductor processes to improve transistor performance and reduce power consumption.
And the European Union has passed the European Chips Act, which promotes research and development of 2D semiconductor materials.
According to Di Zengfeng, the team’s lead researcher, the core of the technology lies in the ability to precisely manipulate oxygen atoms so that they can be embedded layer by layer into an aluminum crystal lattice at room temperature to form an ordered dielectric material made of single-crystal aluminum oxide – sapphire.
Conventional alumina materials often have a disordered structure, which can lead to a significant deterioration in their insulating properties in very thin layers. However, a single-crystal sapphire structure results in higher electron mobility and lower current loss, Di said.
“The orderly placement of the material at the microscopic level ensures the stability of the electrons during transport, making it possible to prevent current leakage even at a thickness of just 1 nanometer, thus significantly improving the energy efficiency of the chips,” he said.
