MSGID: 1:317/3 64b0cf89   
   PID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   TID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
    New material could hold key to reducing energy consumption in computers   
   and electronics    
    University of Minnesota researchers create thin film of unique semimetal   
   for the first time    
      
     Date:   
         July 13, 2023   
     Source:   
         University of Minnesota   
     Summary:   
         A University of Minnesota Twin Cities team has, for the first time,   
         synthesized a thin film of a unique topological semimetal material   
         that has the potential to generate more computing power and memory   
         storage while using significantly less energy.   
      
      
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   FULL STORY   
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   A University of Minnesota Twin Cities team has, for the first time,   
   synthesized a thin film of a unique topological semimetal material that   
   has the potential to generate more computing power and memory storage   
   while using significantly less energy. The researchers were also able   
   to closely study the material, leading to some important findings about   
   the physics behind its unique properties.   
      
   The study is published in Nature Communications, a peer-reviewed   
   scientific journal that covers the natural sciences and engineering.   
      
   As evidenced by the United States' recent CHIPS and Science Act, there   
   is a growing need to increase semiconductor manufacturing and support   
   research that goes into developing the materials that power electronic   
   devices everywhere.   
      
   While traditional semiconductors are the technology behind most of   
   today's computer chips, scientists and engineers are always looking   
   for new materials that can generate more power with less energy to make   
   electronics better, smaller, and more efficient.   
      
   One such candidate for these new and improved computer chips is a class   
   of quantum materials called topological semimetals. The electrons   
   in these materials behave in different ways, giving the materials   
   unique properties that typical insulators and metals used in electronic   
   devices do not have. For this reason, they are being explored for use in   
   spintronic devices, an alternative to traditional semiconductor devices   
   that leverage the spin of electrons rather than the electrical charge   
   to store data and process information.   
      
   In this new study, an interdisciplinary team of University of Minnesota   
   researchers were able to successfully synthesize such a material as a   
   thin film -- and prove that it has the potential for high performance   
   with low energy consumption.   
      
   "This research shows for the first time that you can transition from a   
   weak topological insulator to a topological semimetal using a magnetic   
   doping strategy," said Jian-Ping Wang, a senior author of the paper and   
   a Distinguished McKnight University Professor and Robert F. Hartmann   
   Chair in the University of Minnesota Department of Electrical and   
   Computer Engineering.   
      
   "We're looking for ways to extend the lifetimes for our electrical devices   
   and at the same time lower the energy consumption, and we're trying to   
   do that in non-traditional, out-of-the-box ways."  Researchers have   
   been working on topological materials for years, but the University   
   of Minnesota team is the first to use a patented, industry- compatible   
   sputtering process to create this semimetal in a thin film format.   
      
   Because their process is industry compatible, Wang said, the technology   
   can be more easily adopted and used for manufacturing real-world devices.   
      
   "Every day in our lives, we use electronic devices, from our cell   
   phones to dishwashers to microwaves. They all use chips. Everything   
   consumes energy," said Andre Mkhoyan, a senior author of the paper and   
   Ray D. and Mary T. Johnson Chair and Professor in the University of   
   Minnesota Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science. "The   
   question is, how do we minimize that energy consumption? This research is   
   a step in that direction. We are coming up with a new class of materials   
   with similar or often better performance, but using much less energy."   
   Because the researchers fabricated such a high-quality material, they were   
   also able to closely analyze its properties and what makes it so unique.   
      
   "One of the main contributions of this work from a physics point of view   
   is that we were able to study some of this material's most fundamental   
   properties," said Tony Low, a senior author of the paper and the Paul   
   Palmberg Associate Professor in the University of Minnesota Department   
   of Electrical and Computer Engineering. "Normally, when you apply a   
   magnetic field, the longitudinal resistance of a material will increase,   
   but in this particular topological material, we have predicted that it   
   would decrease. We were able to corroborate our theory to the measured   
   transport data and confirm that there is indeed a negative resistance."   
   Low, Mkhoyan, and Wang have been working together for more than a decade   
   on topological materials for next generation electronic devices and   
   systems - - this research wouldn't have been possible without combining   
   their respective expertise in theory and computation, material growth   
   and characterization, and device fabrication.   
      
   "It not only takes an inspiring vision but also great patience across   
   the four disciplines and a dedicated group of team members to work on   
   such an important but challenging topic, which will potentially enable   
   the transition of the technology from lab to industry," Wang said.   
      
   In addition to Low, Mkhoyan, and Wang, the research team included   
   University of Minnesota Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering   
   researchers Delin Zhang, Wei Jiang, Onri Benally, Zach Cresswell, Yihong   
   Fan, Yang Lv, and Przemyslaw Swatek; Department of Chemical Engineering   
   and Materials Science researcher Hwanhui Yun; Department of Physics   
   and Astronomy researcher Thomas Peterson; and University of Minnesota   
   Characterization Facility researchers Guichuan Yu and Javier Barriocanal.   
      
   This research is supported by SMART, one of seven centers of nCORE,   
   a Semiconductor Research Corporation program, sponsored by National   
   Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). T.P. and D.Z. were partly   
   supported by ASCENT, one of six centers of JUMP, a Semiconductor Research   
   Corporation program that is sponsored by MARCO and DARPA. This work   
   was partially supported by the University of Minnesota's Materials   
   Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) program under award   
   number DMR-2011401 (Seed). Parts of this work were carried out in the   
   Characterization Facility of the University of Minnesota Twin Cities,   
   which receives partial support from the National Science Foundation   
   through the MRSEC (Award NumberDMR-2011401). Portions of this work were   
   conducted in the Minnesota Nano Center, which is supported by the NSF Nano   
   Coordinated Infrastructure Network (NNCI) under Award Number ECCS-2025124.   
      
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   Them Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_Minnesota. Note:   
   Content may be edited for style and length.   
      
      
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   Journal Reference:   
      1. Delin Zhang, Wei Jiang, Hwanhui Yun, Onri Jay Benally, Thomas   
      Peterson,   
         Zach Cresswell, Yihong Fan, Yang Lv, Guichuan Yu, Javier Garcia   
         Barriocanal, Przemyslaw Wojciech Swatek, K. Andre Mkhoyan, Tony Low,   
         Jian-Ping Wang. Robust negative longitudinal magnetoresistance and   
         spin- orbit torque in sputtered Pt3Sn and Pt3SnxFe1-x topological   
         semimetal.   
      
         Nature Communications, 2023; 14 (1) DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-39408-2   
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   Link to news story:   
   https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/07/230713142046.htm   
      
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