New material could replace silicon in next gen semiconductors
1 min read
A new ferroelectric material has been discovered that shows promise as an organic alternative to today's silicon based semiconductors.
"The molecule is quite remarkable, with some of the key properties that are comparable with the most popular inorganic crystals," said Jiangyu Li, an associate professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Washington.
Li believes the carbon based material could be used to provide a flexible, nontoxic material for medical sensors that would be implanted in the body; or to create a less costly, lighter material to harvest energy from natural vibrations.
In testing, the molecule demonstrated a natural polarisation, a measure of how strongly the molecules align to store information, of 23, compared to 26 for barium titanate – a well known ferroelectric material that is a standard for performance.
It was also able to retain its properties up to 153°Cand demonstrate a dielectric constant – a measure of how well it can store energy – more than 10 times higher than for other organic ferroelectrics.
While the material is not expected to replace current inorganic materials, Li believes it could be used in applications where cost, ease of manufacturing, weight, flexibility and toxicity are important.
