2D Material For P-Type Semiconductor

• University of Utah engineers have discovered a new 2D semiconducting material that could open the door to faster computers and smartphones that also consume a lot less power.
• This semiconductor is made up of tin monoxide (SnO) .

Analysis:

• With electrons in 3D materials such as silicon becoming difficult to control at dimensions around 5nm, the use of 2D materials - materials that are one or two atoms thick - has become a subject of research in the last five years because electrons can only move in one direction within 2D materials meaning they move faster than in 3D materials.
• Other 2D materials like graphene, molybdenun disulfide and borophene only allow the movement of N-type electrons, but Utah's tin monoxide is the first stable P-type 2D semiconductor material and allows the movement of both negative electrons and positive charges.
• This material could be used in transistors, the lifeblood of all electronic devices such as computer processors and graphics processors in desktop computers and mobile devices.
• Now, the electrons also require much less power to run, a boon for mobile electronics that have to run on battery power.
• This could also be important for medical devices such as electronic implants that will run longer on a single battery charge.
• The newly discovered semi-conducting material could lead to computers and smartphones that are over 100 times faster than regular devices.

By: Vishal