A new advance in plasma chemistry could help enable the next generation of smaller, faster, and more powerful computer chips. As traditional silicon technology approaches its physical limits, researchers are exploring ultrathin materials that could complement silicon and improve the performance of future transistors.

One promising alternative to silicon is molybdenum disulfide, an atomically thin material from the transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) family. Just three atoms thick, it consists of a single layer of molybdenum sandwiched between two layers of sulfur, making it a potential candidate for future generations of advanced transistors.

Figure 1. New Plasma Method Advances Chip Design

Removing Atomic Layers Without Damage

Future chip designs combining silicon with transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) materials may require extremely precise removal of individual atomic layers without affecting the layers underneath. Researchers are exploring plasma-based techniques, a technology long studied at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, to achieve this level of atomic-scale control. Figure 1 shows New Plasma Method Advances Chip Design.

Researchers found that plasma treatment can selectively remove sulfur atoms from molybdenum disulfide, but controlling the process without damaging the underlying molybdenum layer is challenging. Computer simulations revealed that adding a thin oxygen or fluorine coating before plasma exposure greatly improves precision, creating a wider safety margin for atomic-scale material processing. The findings were published in the Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters.

Oxygen and Fluorine Make Atomic Removal Easier

Computer simulations revealed that oxygen and fluorine coatings significantly reduce the energy needed to remove sulfur atoms from molybdenum disulfide. The required energy dropped from about 30 electron volts on untreated material to around 10 electron volts with fluorine and 14 electron volts with oxygen. This wider energy gap helps create a safer processing window, allowing manufacturers to remove a single atomic layer while minimizing damage to the underlying material.

Letting Chemistry Enable Precision Control

Researchers discovered that chemistry can make plasma-based atomic layer removal more precise by helping break down surface atoms into easier-to-remove compounds [1]. Instead of relying only on energetic plasma impacts, oxygen and fluorine coatings create stable sulfur-based molecules, such as sulfur dioxide and sulfur-fluorine compounds, that detach more easily from the material surface.

Extending the Method to New Materials

Researchers are now working to quantify the amount of damage caused by different processing conditions and improve control over atomic-scale fabrication. They also plan to test whether the same chemistry-based approach can be applied to related materials, such as replacing molybdenum with tungsten or sulfur with selenium, to expand its potential uses.

References:

1. https://scitechdaily.com/a-tiny-chemical-trick-could-lead-to-much-more-powerful-computer-chips/

Cite this article:

Janani R (2025), Tiny Chemical Trick Could Revolutionize Computer Chips, AnaTechMaz, pp. 472