A new twist on a long-known material could help push quantum computing forward and cut energy use in modern data centers, according to a team led by Penn State researchers.
Barium titanate, first identified in 1941, is valued for its strong electro-optic properties in bulk, or three-dimensional, crystals. Materials like this connect electricity and light by converting signals carried by electrons into signals carried by photons, the particles of light.
Despite these advantages, barium titanate never became the standard material for electro-optic devices such as modulators, switches, and sensors. Instead, lithium niobate took its place because it is more stable and easier to manufacture, even though its performance is not as strong.
According to Venkat Gopalan, a Penn State professor of materials science and engineering and co-author of the study published in Advanced Materials, reshaping barium titanate into ultrathin, strained films could change that.
“Barium titanate is known in the materials science community as a champion material for electro-optics, at least on paper,” Gopalan said. “It has one of the largest electro-optic property values known in its bulk, single crystal form at room temperature. But when it comes to commercialization, it never made the leap. What we have done is show that when you take this classic material and strain it in just the right way, it can do things no one thought possible.”
To read more, click here.