A new semiconductor working at 90 below zero has just been invented by a Korean research group.

National Research Foundation of Korea announced that the co-research group conducted by Prof. Jin hong Park at SUNGKYUNKWAN UNIVERSITY, and Prof. Yong hun Kim at Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, had captured the moment when charge passed through the empty space of a two-dimensional semiconductor, sponsored by Ministry of Science of Korea.

The analysis of the movement of charge is regarded as essential for the research and improvement of a semiconductor. However, the movement of charge has not yet been studied and neither has the improvement of an element.

The co-research group scrutinized the materials called ‘Graphene’ and WSe2 in a semiconductor, which resulted in inventing the new moving theory of electronic element in a two-dimensional semiconductor.
The research showed a Tunneling Mechanism in the element of the semiconductor produced by the research group, which is different from the previous study. The current two-dimensional semiconductor normally decreases as temperature lowers. On the other hand, the element of the semiconductor made by the research team is not influenced by temperature: the operating current rises and the leakage current declines surprisingly at 90 below zero. This phenomenon resulted from the movement of the element passing through WSe2, quoted by the co-research team.

Current on/off ratio (Ratio of current flowing in element of a semiconductor) is also seen as high; this is the indicator showing the superb element of a semiconductor. WSe2, which the team invented, indicates a higher current on/off ratio than that usual up to 10 million times (at 90 below zero). This is a thousand times higher than a similar semiconductor made from silicon. As a result, it is easier to control the current flowing in an element because of this study. 

Prof. Park says, “This accomplishment will be able to be adopted into research associated with switching elements and electrical circuits and then applying it to the production of a mobile phone, television and so on”