Stanene, a topological insulator, is a material that conducts electricity solely along its surface and edges. When engineered to be only a single atom thick, topological insulators can theoretically conduct electricity along their edges with 100% efficiency.
According to recent calculations, a single layer of tin atoms would be an excellent conductor at room temperature. If the tin atoms were bound together with fluoride, however, the material’s operating temperature would increase to 100 degrees Celsius (212 degrees Fahrenheit).
"Stanene could increase the speed and lower the power needs of future generations of computer chips, if our prediction is confirmed by experiments that are underway in several laboratories around the world," said Shoucheng Zhang, a physics professor at Stanford.
Over the last decade, Zhang has been measuring the electrical properties of topological insulators and looking for properties that can be used to develop more efficient products. “The magic of topological insulators is that by their very nature,” said Zhang, “they force electrons to move in defined lanes without any speed limit, like the German autobahn… As long as they’re on the freeway – the edges or surfaces – the electrons will travel without resistance.”
With theoretical calculations out of the way, Zhang and his team are now looking for ways to create samples of stanene. As with other super-materials, however, constructing a matrix that is only a single atom thick leaves very little room for error.
While it might be some time before researchers can produce stanene at scale, Zhang believes the material will be extremely useful in the development of more energy efficient, heat resistant microprocessors. “Eventually, we can imagine stanene being used for many more circuit structures, including replacing silicon in the hearts of transistors… Someday we might even call this area Tin Valley rather than Silicon Valley.”
Image Courtesy of SLAC