As traditional silicon materials increasingly approach their physical limits, the semiconductor industry stands at a critical juncture of transformation. A research team from the University of Tokyo recently developed a new transistor based on gallium-doped indium oxide (InGaOx), which is expected to extend the life cycle of Moore’s Law in high-computation applications such as artificial intelligence and big data. This innovation may open a new chapter for transistor design in the post-silicon era.
Table of Contents
Transistors Facing Bottlenecks: Searching for Silicon Replacements
Since its inception in the 20th century, the transistor has been the core component of modern electronic products, acting as a miniature switch that controls and amplifies electrical signals. However, as electronic devices continuously pursue miniaturization and high performance, traditional silicon-based transistors are gradually approaching their physical limits, facing dual challenges of performance and power consumption. This has compelled scientists to actively seek new materials and designs to break through existing technological bottlenecks and drive the continuous advancement of microelectronics.
Indium Oxide: The Ideal Material for Next-Generation Transistors
The research team at the University of Tokyo believes that gallium-doped indium oxide (InGaOx) paves a superior path for transistor development. This material can form a highly ordered crystalline structure, which greatly facilitates the efficient movement of electrons, a crucial factor in enhancing transistor performance.
Furthermore, the new transistor adopts an innovative “Gate-All-Around (GAA)” design. This design allows the gate, which controls the switch, to completely encircle the current channel. This not only significantly increases electron mobility but also contributes to the long-term stability of the transistor. Lead researcher Dr. Anlan Chen pointed out that the Gate-All-Around structure effectively improves efficiency and scalability.
Suppressing Defects: Achieving High Performance and High Reliability
To further optimize the electrical response of InGaOx, the research team doped indium oxide with gallium. Senior author Masaharu Kobayashi explained that oxygen vacancies typically exist in indium oxide, which can lead to carrier scattering and reduced device stability. By doping with gallium, the researchers successfully suppressed these oxygen vacancies, thereby significantly improving the reliability of the transistor.
In terms of fabrication, the team utilized atomic layer deposition (ALD) to sequentially coat the InGaOx thin film onto the channel region of the Gate-All-Around transistor. Subsequently, heat treatment was applied to transform the thin film into the desired crystalline structure, ultimately leading to the successful fabrication of a high-performance metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET). Dr. Anlan Chen stated that this Gate-All-Around MOSFET achieved a high mobility of 44.5 cm²/Vs and operated stably for nearly three hours under stress, demonstrating excellent reliability.
Towards the Future: New Power for AI and Big Data Applications
The results of this research provide a reliable design for high-density electronic components for high-computation-demand applications such as big data and artificial intelligence. The groundbreaking progress of the new InGaOx transistor foreshadows the smooth operation of next-generation technologies, which will have a significant impact on people’s daily lives. The improvement in transistor performance means that future AI training will be more efficient and data processing will be faster, bringing more innovative possibilities to various industries.
References:
- Extending Moore’s Law to Boost AI Development! University of Tokyo Develops “New Transistor” to Replace Silicon Material
- Crystal-Powered Transistor Could Replace Silicon and Supercharge AI
(Source of the first picture:iStock)
We offer customized adjustments to the grinding process, tailored to meet processing requirements for maximum efficiency.
Feel free to contact us and we will have specialist available to answer your questions.
If you need customized quotations, you’re also welcome to contact us.
Customer Service Hours: Monday to Friday 09:00~18:00 (GMT+8)
Phone: +8867 223 1058
If you have a subject that you want to know or a phone call that is not clear, you are welcome to send a private message to Facebook~~
Honway Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/honwaygroup
You may be interested in…
[wpb-random-posts]
