Nanocables a Possible Solution for Semiconductor Industry to go Beyond 22 nm node

(PRWEB) October 18, 2006 -- Many current integrated microelectronic circuits consist of arrays of devices constructed from semiconductor heterostructures in two dimensions. Further miniaturization of electronic circuits, to facilitate Moore’s Law, may necessitate the construction of appropriate devices in single dimensions. Consequently, the development of one dimensional (1D) coaxial nanocables, which consist of a continuous crystalline nanowire encapsulated in a sheath of a different crystalline material, has been the focus of extensive research, as these structures are expected to play an important role in the next generation of electrical heterostructured devices. In particular, the combination of two or more magnetic materials in a radial structure is seen as a potential building block for future magnetoresistive, spin valve and ultrafast spin injection devices with non-planar geometries.

Dr. Justin Holmes, who leads the Supercritical Chemistry Unit at University College Cork's Department of Chemistry, explains the team's findings to Nanowerk: "We developed a supercritical fluid inclusion technique for constructing highly ordered and oriented arrays of coaxial magnetic nanocables, consisting of both magnetically hard (cobalt) and a magnetically soft (magnetite) materials. Significantly we demonstrate that the magnetic properties of these structures are determined by the material occupying the largest volume fraction, i.e. the core of the nanocable. Hence, it is possible to control and optimize the magnetic properties of these structures."

Read the full article on the Nanowerk website.

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By Michael Berger, Copyright 2006 Nanowerk LLC

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