Researchers make microelectronics breakthrough
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Scientists at CNRS and Université Paris-Sud 11 have succeeded in creating a conductive layer on the surface of strontium titanate (SrTiO3), a transparent insulating material considered to be promising for the development of future microelectronics applications.
Two nanometers thick, the conductive layer is a two dimensional metallic electron gas (2DEG) that is part of the insulating material. Researchers believe it could open new possibilities for electronics based on transition metal oxides (the SrTiO3 family), taking advantage of these materials' vast range of physical properties (superconductivity, magnetism, thermoelectricity, etc.) to integrate a number of different functions in a single microelectronic device. The findings have been publsihed in the January 13 issue of the journal Nature.
The discovery could make it possible to combine the intrinsic multifunctional properties of transition metal oxides with those of the two dimensional metal on their surface say researchers. Possible developments include the coupling of a ferroelectric oxide with the electron gas on its surface to produce non volatile memories, or the inclusion of transparent circuits on the surface of solar cells or touch screens.
