Nanotechnology Now

Our NanoNews Digest Sponsors
Heifer International



Home > Press > 'Weak' materials offer strong possibilities for electronics

Dr. Fan Zhang
Dr. Fan Zhang

Abstract:
New fundamental research by UT Dallas physicists may accelerate the drive toward more advanced electronics and more powerful computers.

'Weak' materials offer strong possibilities for electronics

Dallas, TX | Posted on June 1st, 2016

The scientists are investigating materials called topological insulators, whose surface electrical properties are essentially the opposite of the properties inside.

"These materials are made of the same thing throughout, from the interior to the exterior," said Dr. Fan Zhang, assistant professor of physics at UT Dallas. "But, the interior does not conduct electrons -- it's an insulator -- while the electrons on the surface are free to move around. The surface is therefore a conductor, like a metal, but it is in fact more robust than a metal."

There are two types of topological insulators: strong and weak. The difference between them is subtle and involves complex physics, but is critically important.

"If you had a cube of material that is a strong topological insulator, all six faces can conduct electrons," Zhang said. "For the weak one, only the four sides are conducting, while the top and bottom surfaces remain insulating."

Strong topological insulators were made experimentally shortly after they were theoretically proposed. Zhang said they are common in nature, and several dozen variations have been identified and experimentally confirmed.

On the other hand, weak topological insulators have been more elusive. Scientists have proposed various ways to construct a weak topological insulator, but because of its distinctive properties, researchers have not been able to say definitively that they have experimentally produced one.

Zhang, a theoretical physicist, has devised a new way to make a weak topological insulator, one that involves a relatively simple mix of two chemical elements: a crystal composed of bismuth combined with either iodine or bromine. He and his colleagues published the research recently in the journal Physical Review Letters and presented their work at the March meeting of the American Physical Society.

In the 1970s, German scientists grew bismuth iodides and bismuth bromides, but they didn't understand their potential as weak topological insulators, Zhang said.

"This class of materials we are proposing is a unique platform for exploring exotic physics with fairly simple chemistry," he said. "With further research and experimentation, our findings could lead to significant advances in technology, especially in electronics and quantum computing."

Electrically conductive materials are the fundamental building blocks of the traditional transistors that power electronic devices including cellphones and computers. Researchers are developing new theories and experiments with innovative physics and materials to create new transistor-like technologies that run devices and make computers more powerful.

With such exotic electrical properties, topological insulators offer a potential option, Zhang said.

"Our lives have been modified over time by our understanding of the conduction of electrons and the exploitation of this physics for use in electronic devices," he said. "We now need to revolutionize transistors. One possible substitution is a so-called topological field effect transistor, which could be made of a thin film of a weak topological insulator."

Computers also are heading for a fundamental redesign, and those efforts might be aided by Zhang's research.

"The fundamental computing scale is now very limited," he said. "For many applications, like weather forecasting and information encoding and decoding, today's computers are way too slow. However, quantum computers have been proposed that would use the principles of quantum physics to compute exponentially faster than today's computers.

"Weak topological insulators could make quantum computing feasible."

As a theorist, Zhang used old-fashioned pencil and paper to construct the basis of his theory about the bismuth compounds. His postdoctoral researcher Dr. Cheng-Cheng Liu, the study's lead author and now an assistant professor at Beijing Institute of Technology, then crunched specific numbers using high-speed supercomputers at the Texas Advanced Computing Center based at UT Austin.

Zhang's UT Dallas colleague, Dr. Bing Lv, assistant professor of physics, has made samples of bismuth iodide.

"The next step will be to characterize the material to explore the unique properties that a weak topological insulator can offer to fundamental physics and to our everyday lives," Zhang said.

###

In addition to Zhang and Liu, other authors of the study are Dr. Jin-Jian Zhou at California Institute of Technology and Yugui Yao at Beijing Institute of Technology.

The work at UT Dallas was primarily supported by University startup funds and the National Science Foundation through the Aspen Center for Physics and Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics.

####

For more information, please click here

Contacts:
Amanda Siegfried

972-883-4335

Copyright © University of Texas at Dallas

If you have a comment, please Contact us.

Issuers of news releases, not 7th Wave, Inc. or Nanotechnology Now, are solely responsible for the accuracy of the content.

Bookmark:
Delicious Digg Newsvine Google Yahoo Reddit Magnoliacom Furl Facebook

Related News Press

Chemistry

Cambridge chemists discover simple way to build bigger molecules – one carbon at a time June 6th, 2025

Physics

INRS and ELI deepen strategic partnership to train the next generation in laser science:PhD students will benefit from international mobility and privileged access to cutting-edge infrastructure June 6th, 2025

Quantum computers simulate fundamental physics: shedding light on the building blocks of nature June 6th, 2025

News and information

INRS and ELI deepen strategic partnership to train the next generation in laser science:PhD students will benefit from international mobility and privileged access to cutting-edge infrastructure June 6th, 2025

Electrifying results shed light on graphene foam as a potential material for lab grown cartilage June 6th, 2025

Quantum computers simulate fundamental physics: shedding light on the building blocks of nature June 6th, 2025

A 1960s idea inspires NBI researchers to study hitherto inaccessible quantum states June 6th, 2025

Quantum Physics

Quantum computers simulate fundamental physics: shedding light on the building blocks of nature June 6th, 2025

Govt.-Legislation/Regulation/Funding/Policy

INRS and ELI deepen strategic partnership to train the next generation in laser science:PhD students will benefit from international mobility and privileged access to cutting-edge infrastructure June 6th, 2025

Electrifying results shed light on graphene foam as a potential material for lab grown cartilage June 6th, 2025

Institute for Nanoscience hosts annual proposal planning meeting May 16th, 2025

Rice researchers harness gravity to create low-cost device for rapid cell analysis February 28th, 2025

Possible Futures

Ben-Gurion University of the Negev researchers several steps closer to harnessing patient's own T-cells to fight off cancer June 6th, 2025

Researchers unveil a groundbreaking clay-based solution to capture carbon dioxide and combat climate change June 6th, 2025

Cambridge chemists discover simple way to build bigger molecules – one carbon at a time June 6th, 2025

A 1960s idea inspires NBI researchers to study hitherto inaccessible quantum states June 6th, 2025

Chip Technology

A 1960s idea inspires NBI researchers to study hitherto inaccessible quantum states June 6th, 2025

Programmable electron-induced color router array May 14th, 2025

Enhancing power factor of p- and n-type single-walled carbon nanotubes April 25th, 2025

Ultrafast plasmon-enhanced magnetic bit switching at the nanoscale April 25th, 2025

Quantum Computing

Quantum computers simulate fundamental physics: shedding light on the building blocks of nature June 6th, 2025

Magnetism in new exotic material opens the way for robust quantum computers June 4th, 2025

A new study provides insights into cleaning up noise in quantum entanglement:When it comes to purifying quantum entanglement, new theoretical work highlights the importance of tailoring noise-minimizing solutions to specific quantum systems May 16th, 2025

Programmable electron-induced color router array May 14th, 2025

Discoveries

Researchers unveil a groundbreaking clay-based solution to capture carbon dioxide and combat climate change June 6th, 2025

Cambridge chemists discover simple way to build bigger molecules – one carbon at a time June 6th, 2025

Electrifying results shed light on graphene foam as a potential material for lab grown cartilage June 6th, 2025

A 1960s idea inspires NBI researchers to study hitherto inaccessible quantum states June 6th, 2025

Materials/Metamaterials/Magnetoresistance

Researchers unveil a groundbreaking clay-based solution to capture carbon dioxide and combat climate change June 6th, 2025

A 1960s idea inspires NBI researchers to study hitherto inaccessible quantum states June 6th, 2025

Institute for Nanoscience hosts annual proposal planning meeting May 16th, 2025

Superconductors: Amazingly orderly disorder: A surprising effect was discovered through a collaborative effort by researchers from TU Wien and institutions in Croatia, France, Poland, Singapore, Switzerland, and the US during the investigation of a special material: the atoms are May 14th, 2025

Announcements

INRS and ELI deepen strategic partnership to train the next generation in laser science:PhD students will benefit from international mobility and privileged access to cutting-edge infrastructure June 6th, 2025

Electrifying results shed light on graphene foam as a potential material for lab grown cartilage June 6th, 2025

Quantum computers simulate fundamental physics: shedding light on the building blocks of nature June 6th, 2025

A 1960s idea inspires NBI researchers to study hitherto inaccessible quantum states June 6th, 2025

Interviews/Book Reviews/Essays/Reports/Podcasts/Journals/White papers/Posters

Cambridge chemists discover simple way to build bigger molecules – one carbon at a time June 6th, 2025

Electrifying results shed light on graphene foam as a potential material for lab grown cartilage June 6th, 2025

Quantum computers simulate fundamental physics: shedding light on the building blocks of nature June 6th, 2025

A 1960s idea inspires NBI researchers to study hitherto inaccessible quantum states June 6th, 2025

Grants/Sponsored Research/Awards/Scholarships/Gifts/Contests/Honors/Records

Researchers uncover strong light-matter interactions in quantum spin liquids: Groundbreaking experiment supported by Rice researcher reveals new insights into a mysterious phase of quantum matter December 13th, 2024

New discovery aims to improve the design of microelectronic devices September 13th, 2024

Physicists unlock the secret of elusive quantum negative entanglement entropy using simple classical hardware August 16th, 2024

Atomic force microscopy in 3D July 5th, 2024

NanoNews-Digest
The latest news from around the world, FREE




  Premium Products
NanoNews-Custom
Only the news you want to read!
 Learn More
NanoStrategies
Full-service, expert consulting
 Learn More











ASP
Nanotechnology Now Featured Books




NNN

The Hunger Project