A research team at the University of Minnesota has developed the next generation of transparent and efficient semiconductor materials. This breakthrough could have a significant impact on improving the efficiency of high-power electronics, especially those that require transparency, such as lasers.
The material is completely man-made and allows for high-speed movement of electrons while remaining transparent to visible and ultraviolet light.
This new material has already broken records and is considered a major advance in semiconductor design.
Semiconductors are a growing, potentially multi-trillion dollar industry that will become even more important as digital technologies develop around the world. Semiconductors are essential components of nearly all electronic devices, from smartphones to medical devices.
Key areas of advancement in these technologies include the enhancement of what scientists call “ultra-wide bandgap” materials. These materials can conduct electricity efficiently even under extreme conditions.
big progress
Ultra-wide bandgap semiconductors support high performance at high temperatures, making them essential for creating more durable and robust electronic devices.
In a paper published in Science Advances, researchers focused on developing a new class of materials with an increased “bandgap” that improves both transparency and electrical conductivity.
This major advance will support the creation of faster and more efficient devices and could lead to breakthroughs in computers, smartphones, and even quantum computing.
This new material is a transparent conductive oxide with a special thin layer structure that increases transparency while maintaining electrical conductivity. This is important because most materials that conduct electricity well are opaque, while transparent materials generally do not conduct electricity efficiently.
Achieving both properties in a single material is rare and could lead to innovative applications in devices that require both optical transparency and electronic performance. As technology and artificial intelligence (AI) applications increasingly require highly functional materials, this breakthrough development offers a promising solution.
“This breakthrough is a game-changer for transparent conductive materials, allowing us to overcome limitations that have long hindered the performance of deep-UV devices,” said Bharat Jalan, Shell Professor and Professor in the University of Minnesota’s Department of Chemical Engineering. said. materials science.
Semiconductor transparency is key
He went on to explain that this work demonstrated an unprecedented marriage of transparency and conductivity in the deep ultraviolet spectrum. It also paves the way for innovation in high-power optoelectronic devices designed to function in the most challenging environments.
The study’s first co-authors, Ph.D.s Fengdeng Liu and Zhifei Yang, chemical engineering and materials science students in Jalan’s lab, said the material’s properties make it almost implausible for electronic applications. He said he had proven that. To achieve this objective, they conducted numerous experiments and succeeded in eliminating material defects and increasing performance.
“Detailed electron microscopy reveals that the material is clean with no obvious defects, and if the defects are controlled, oxide-based perovskites can be used as semiconductors,” said Andre Mukhoyan, senior author of the paper. It has become clear how powerful it is.”
This research represents a significant advance in the development of more efficient materials for current electronic applications and provides new opportunities for future technologies that require both transparency and high conductivity.
You can see the study for yourself in the journal Science Advances.
