A Ph.D student has discovered a way of creating the smallest nanowires through the use of focused electron beams.
The creator of the smallest nanowires in existence is Junhao Lin, a doctorate student and visiting scientist at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). The wires measure only three atoms across, a size that is one thousandth the width of microscopic wires used in integrated circuits.
Sokrates Pantelides, University Distinguished Professor of Physics and Engineering at Vanderbilt University, described Lin’s creation as a method that represents a new way of engineering and controlling different forms of matter at the smallest scale possible. This invention could also be used in developing circuits composed of atomic layers.
The tiny wires were made using a special family of semi-conductors that are naturally integrated into the atomic monolayers. These materials are called transition-metal dichalcogenides, and they are created by mixing together molybdenum or tungsten with some amounts of selenium or sulfur. The most commonly used mixture from this family is the molybdenum disulfide.
Scientific interest in atomic monolayers is on the rise these days, due to the remarkable qualities that they possess. Atomic monolayers have high flexibility and strength, as well high electron mobility. Aside from Lin’s research, there are also other experts focusing on using atomic monolayers in transistors found in transition-metal dichalcogenides material. Wires are critical parts of the circuit next to the transistors and scientists are working on creating more efficient and durable wires.
"This will likely stimulate a huge research interest in monolayer circuit design," Lin said in a press release. "Because this technique uses electron irradiation, it can, in principle, be applicable to any kind of electron-based instrument, such as electron-beam lithography."
Further details of the study can be read in the April 29 issue of Nature Nanotechnology.
