As computer chips become ever smaller and more complex, the ultrathin metallic wires that transmit electrical signals within them are emerging as a critical bottleneck. Traditional metal wires, like copper, lose their efficiency at conducting electricity as they become thinner, ultimately restricting the size, performance, and energy efficiency of nanoscale electronics.
In research published on January 3 in the journal Science, Stanford scientists demonstrated that niobium phosphide outperforms copper in conducting electricity when used in films just a few atoms thick. These ultrathin niobium phosphide films can also be created at low temperatures, making them compatible with current chip manufacturing processes. This breakthrough could pave the way for more powerful and energy-efficient electronics in the future.
“We are breaking a fundamental bottleneck of traditional materials like copper,” said Asir Intisar Khan, who received his doctorate from Stanford and is now a visiting postdoctoral scholar and first author on the paper. “Our niobium phosphide conductors show that it’s possible to send faster, more efficient signals through ultrathin wires. This could improve the energy efficiency of future chips, and even small gains add up when many chips are used, such as in the massive data centers that store and process information today.”
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