The shrinking of computer chips has exposed a stubborn problem: even when a semiconductor can carry electricity efficiently, getting that electricity into the material can waste power and slow the device down.
Researchers in South Korea have now demonstrated a possible way around this obstacle. Their design allows electrical current to move smoothly from a conductive region into a semiconducting region without crossing the conventional junction between two separate materials. The team also directly mapped the movement of charges at the nanometer scale, providing experimental evidence that the new interface does not disrupt the current.
The advance could support the development of smaller and more energy-efficient electronics, including AI processors, low-power devices, and future logic chips.
The research was led by Professor Seungbum Hong of KAIST’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering, in collaboration with Professor Kibum Kang at KAIST and Professor Sung Beom Cho’s team at Sungkyunkwan University.
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