Jumping from 14nm down to 0.3nm

Intel is about to deliver its new chip generation at 14nm. And researchers at the Washington University have developed what is by far the smallest electronic junction ever, consisting of just 3 atoms, that is 3 Angstrom, or something 100,000 times smaller (you need to make the comparison in the 3D space…).
They have been able to demonstrate that it is possible to create heterojunction e (structure composed by different materials) using 2 dimensional layers (layers just one atom thick). Heterojunctions are a fundamental component of all electronics and optoelectronics devices (a transistor is a heterojunction NPN or PNP for the engineers among you) and proving the availability of creating heterojunction in this way is an important step.
In a collaboration with researchers at the University of Warwick in UK showed that the material developed has a shape of a honeycomb, see photo.
With the prototype developed they have already shown that the heterojunction is much more effective in capturing light, which makes it an interesting candidate for better solar cells.
As we move down to the atomic level we can exploit quantum properties that are masked at larger dimensions.

About Roberto Saracco

Roberto Saracco fell in love with technology and its implications long time ago. His background is in math and computer science. Until April 2017 he led the EIT Digital Italian Node and then was head of the Industrial Doctoral School of EIT Digital up to September 2018. Previously, up to December 2011 he was the Director of the Telecom Italia Future Centre in Venice, looking at the interplay of technology evolution, economics and society. At the turn of the century he led a World Bank-Infodev project to stimulate entrepreneurship in Latin America. He is a senior member of IEEE where he leads the New Initiative Committee and co-chairs the Digital Reality Initiative. He is a member of the IEEE in 2050 Ad Hoc Committee. He teaches a Master course on Technology Forecasting and Market impact at the University of Trento. He has published over 100 papers in journals and magazines and 14 books.