SiO2 Limited to 4-Atom Layer
-- Semiconductor International, 8/1/1999
Bell Labs researchers have produced a five-atom-thick
layer, the thinnest ever made. They also showed that a four-atom layer is the
fundamental physical limit for silicon dioxide-based insulators.
Made of silicon dioxide, the insulating layers on today's chips are typically 25 atoms thick.
The Bell Labs research results suggest an alternative insulating material must be found before 2012. Or, if alternative insulating materials are not found, totally new semiconductor technologies will be needed.
'Having extended the fundamental physical limits of silicon dioxide gives the
semiconductor industry more time to develop alternative insulating layers,' said
Bell Labs researcher David Muller.
