Greener, faster, smaller electronic circuitry comes closer to reality

Washington D.C: A recent atomic discovery has paved the way for greener, faster, smaller electronic circuitry.
The research team led by UAlberta physicist Robert Wolkow found a way to delete and replace out-of-place atoms that had been preventing new revolutionary circuitry designs from working. This unleashes a new kind of silicon chips for used in common electronic products, such as our phones and computers.

"For the first time, we can unleash the powerful properties inherent to the atomic scale," explained Wolkow, noting that printing errors on silicon chips are inevitable when working at the atomic scale.

"We were making things that were close to perfect but not quite there. Now that we have the ability to make corrections, we can ensure perfect patterns, and that makes the circuits work. It is this new ability to edit at the atom scale that makes all the difference."

Think of a typing mistake and the ability to go back and white it out and type it again perfectly. Now imagine that the white out is actually single hydrogen atoms, allowing a level of precision previously unattainable.

"We can precisely erase any errors and reprint that atom in the correct place. It's not even a compromise like white out where you either have a gooey layer or indentation. It's actually perfect," said Wolkow.

Scientists have seen many hints that atomic circuitry was within reach. However, the necessary precision was previously possible only for simple materials that had to be maintained at ultra-low temperatures, impractical for everyday applications demanded in computers and personal digital devices.

Wolkow and his team have discovered methods and material to ensure stability at room temperature, challenges that he and other scientists the world over have been working for decades on overcoming.