Insulating oxides are oxygen containing compounds that do not conduct electricity, but can sometimes form conductive interfaces when they're layered together precisely. The conducting electrons at the interface form a two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) which boasts exotic quantum properties that make the system potentially useful in electronics and photonics applications.
Researchers at Yale University have now grown a 2DEG system on gallium arsenide, a semiconductor that's efficient in absorbing and emitting light. This development is promising for new electronic devices that interact with light, such as new kinds of transistors, superconducting switches and gas sensors.
"I see this as a building block for oxide electronics," said Lior Kornblum, now of the Technion -- Israel Institute of Technology, who describes the new research appearing this week in the Journal of Applied Physics, from AIP publishing.
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