Move over Silicon Valley, tin is coming for you. Recent research has found that tin could be the next material to be used in computer chips and microprocessors.
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and Stanford University has found that a single layer of tin atoms may be the first material in the world to conduct electricity with 100 percent efficiency at the temperatures that computer chips operate.
This new material, which has not yet been fabricated, is named Stanene. This is derived from the Latin name for tin (stannum) and the suffix used in graphene, another single layer material with novel electrical properties.
Stanene is what is known as a ‘topological insulator’, meaning its interior is an insulator but it conducts electrons along its surface. By making the material only a single atom thick, the Stanene is essentially all surface, allowing it to conduct electricity with 100 per cent efficiency.
Topological insulators force electrons to move in defined lanes without any speed limit because there is no resistance; this should lead to significantly reduced power consumption and heat production of microprocessors.
Researchers predict the first application for the material could be replacing the old copper wires that connect the many sections of a microprocessor leading to many more circuit structures including eventually replacing silicon in the heart of transistors.
The electronics industry is currently the biggest consumer of tin in the world, accounting for 43.7 per cent of tin produced in 2011. This may increase if Stanene continues to prove its worth as a beneficial product. Further experiments are currently being conducted around the world to confirm these initial findings.
Source: SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and Stanford University
