2D materials are widely seen as a promising path toward better computer chips. Researchers at TU Wien have now shown that some of these materials are unsuitable due to an underestimated effect. But there are alternatives.
The miniaturization of electronic components has been a tremendous success story, driving technological progress for decades. Work is already underway on the next revolution in computer chips: 2D materials—ultrathin layers consisting of just one or a few atomic layers—could be ideally suited for even smaller electronic structures.
However, researchers at TU Wien have now shown that many 2D materials once considered highly promising are in fact unsuitable for this purpose. It is not enough to study the properties of the material itself—interface effects must also be taken into account. When 2D materials are combined with an insulating layer, an extremely thin gap inevitably forms between them, drastically degrading their electronic properties.
The good news is that this approach also allows researchers to identify which materials are not affected by this problem—potentially saving the semiconductor industry from investing billions in technologies that are fundamentally limited by the laws of physics. The work is published in the journal Science.
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