Jan-Laurens van der Steen at University of Twente’s MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology, has revealed that electrons in silicon whose thickness is less than 10 nanometers exhibit distinct properties.
To better explain the nano-level properties of silicon, he developed a precise model termed as a Single Scattering Model. The model will serve a major role in the micro-electronics segment.
According to Moore's Law, the number of transistors inside a chip will increase by two times every eighteen months and transistors must become lesser in size and to achieve this Van der Steen's research focuses on determining the characteristics of silicon crystals that are lesser than 10 nanometers, a range, which the nano industry will soon accomplish.
Jan-Laurens van der Steen’s study demonstrated that the properties of the silicon material vary radically, an event that is frequently experienced in the nanotechnology field. In silicon of nano-scale thickness, movement of electrons becomes highly arduous, appearing as if the electrons turn out to be bulkier in contrast to thick silicon materials. The study also revealed that in nano-scale silicon samples, the electrons’ mean free path, the distance moved by the electrons before knocking into something, gets reduced.
For making use of these properties, it is essential to predict the method of conducting electricity by nano-scale transistors. Van der Steen created a new model termed as a Single Scattering Model for describing these characteristics on big as well as small samples. The model is highly crucial for building the 11-nanometre CMOS series and even smaller versions.
Source: http://www.utwente.nl