{"id":219733,"date":"2021-04-05T19:43:32","date_gmt":"2021-04-05T16:43:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/a-new-positive-approach-could-be-the-key-to-next-generation-transparent-electronics\/"},"modified":"2021-04-05T19:43:32","modified_gmt":"2021-04-05T16:43:32","slug":"a-new-positive-approach-could-be-the-key-to-next-generation-transparent-electronics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/a-new-positive-approach-could-be-the-key-to-next-generation-transparent-electronics\/","title":{"rendered":"#A new, positive approach could be the key to next-generation, transparent electronics"},"content":{"rendered":"

“#A new, positive app<\/a>roach could be the key to next-generation, transparent electronics<\/strong>”<\/p>\n

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\n The optical transparency of the new materials could enable futuristic, flexible, transparent electronics. Credit: RMIT University
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A new study published this week could pave the way to revolutionary, transparent electronics. Such see-through devices could potentially be integrated in glass, in flexible displays, and in smart contact lenses, bringing to life futuristic devices that seem like the product of science<\/a> fiction.<\/p>\n

For several decades, researchers have sought a new class of electronics based on semiconducting oxides, whose optical transparency could enable these fully-transparent electronics.<\/p>\n

Oxide-based devices could also find use in power electronics and communication technology<\/a>, reducing the carbon footprint of our utility networks.<\/p>\n

An RMIT-led team has now introduced ultrathin beta-tellurite to the two-dimensional (2D) semiconducting material family, providing an answer to this decades-long search for a high mobility p-type oxide.<\/p>\n

“This new, high-mobility p-type oxide fills a crucial gap in the materials spectrum to enable fast, transparent circuits,” says team leader Dr. Torben Daeneke, who led the collaboration across three FLEET nodes.<\/p>\n

Other key advantages of the long-sought-after oxide-based semiconductors are their stability in air, less-stringent purity requirements, low costs and easy deposition.<\/p>\n

“In our advance, the missing link was finding the right, ‘positive’ approach,” says Torben.<\/p>\n

Positivity has been lacking<\/b><\/p>\n

There are two types of semiconducting materials. ‘N-type’ materials have abundant negatively-charged electrons, while ‘p-type’ semiconductors possess plenty of positively-charged holes.<\/p>\n

It’s the stacking together of complementary n-type and p-type materials that allows electronic devices such as diodes, rectifiers and logic circuits.<\/p>\n

Modern life is critically reliant on these materials since they are the building blocks of every computer and smartphone.<\/p>\n

A barrier to oxide devices has been that while many high-performance n-type oxides are known, there is a significant lack of high-quality p-type oxides.<\/p>\n

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\n A molten mixture of tellurium and selenium rolled over a surface deposits an atomically-thin sheet of beta-tellurite. Credit: FLEET
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Theory prompts action<\/b><\/p>\n

However, in 2018, a computational study revealed that beta-tellurite (\u03b2-TeO2<\/sub>) could be an attractive p-type oxide candidate, with tellurium’s peculiar place in the periodic table meaning it can behave as both a metal and a non-metal, providing its oxide with uniquely useful properties.
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“This prediction encouraged our group at RMIT University to explore its properties and applications,” says Dr. Torben Daeneke, who is a FLEET associate investigator.<\/p>\n

Liquid metal\u2014pathway to explore 2D materials<\/b><\/p>\n

Dr. Daeneke’s team demonstrated the isolation of beta-tellurite with a specifically developed synthesis technique that relies on liquid metal chemistry.<\/p>\n

“A molten mixture of tellurium (Te) and selenium (Se) is prepared and allowed to roll over a surface,” explains co-first author Patjaree Aukarasereenont.<\/p>\n

“Thanks to the oxygen in ambient air, the molten droplet naturally forms a thin surface oxide layer of beta-tellurite. As the liquid droplet is rolled over the surface, this oxide layer sticks to it, depositing atomically thin oxide sheets in its way.”<\/p>\n

“The process is similar to drawing: you use a glass rod as a pen and the liquid metal is your ink,” explains Ms Aukarasereenont, who is a FLEET Ph.D. student at RMIT.<\/p>\n

While the desirable \u03b2-phase of tellurite grows below 300 \u00b0C, pure tellurium has a high melting point, above 500 \u00b0C. Therefore, selenium was added to design an alloy that has a lower melting point, making the synthesis possible.<\/p>\n

“The ultrathin sheets we obtained are just 1.5 nanometres thick\u2014corresponding to only few atoms. The material was highly transparent across the visible spectrum, having a bandgap of 3.7 eV which means that they are essentially invisible to the human eye” explains co-author Dr. Ali Zavabeti.<\/p>\n

Assessing beta-tellurite: up to 100 times faster<\/b><\/p>\n

To assess the electronic properties of the developed materials, field-effect transistors (FETs) were fabricated.<\/p>\n

“These devices showed characteristic p-type switching as well as a high hole mobility (roughly 140 cm2<\/sup>V-1<\/sup>s-1<\/sup>), showing that beta-tellurite is ten to one hundred times faster than existing p-type oxide semiconductors. The excellent on\/off ratio (over 106<\/sup>) also attests the material is suitable for power efficient, fast devices,” Ms Patjaree Aukarasereenont said.<\/p>\n

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\n The RMIT team from left, Ali Zavabeti, Patjaree Aukarasereenont and Torben Daeneke with transparent electronics. Credit: FLEET
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“The findings close a crucial gap in the electronic material library,” Dr. Ali Zavabeti said.<\/p>\n

“Having a fast, transparent p-type semiconductor at our disposal has the potential to revolutionize transparent electronics, while also enabling better displays and improved energy-efficient devices.”<\/p>\n

The team plans to further explore the potential of this novel semiconductor. “Our further investigations of this exciting material will explore integration in existing and next-generation consumer electronics,” says Dr. Torben Daeneke.<\/p>\n

The paper, “High mobility p-type semiconducting two-dimensional \u03b2-TeO2<\/sub>,” was published in Nature Electronics<\/i> in April 2021.\n <\/p>\n\n

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Nano-thin flexible touchscreens could be printed like news<\/a>paper\n <\/p><\/div>\n

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\n More information:<\/strong>
\n High-mobility p-type semiconducting two-dimensional \u03b2-TeO2<\/sub>, Nature Electronics<\/i> DOI: 10.1038\/s41928-021-00561-5<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

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Citation<\/strong>:
\n A new, positive approach could be the key to next-generation, transparent electronics (2021, April 5)
\n retrieved 5 April 2021
\n from https:\/\/techxplore.com\/news\/2021-04-positive-approach-key-next-generation-transparent.html<\/p>\n

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