Semiconductor Transistor Technology Rediscovered in South Korea

South Korean researchers have developed a new type of semiconductor transistor capable of performing tasks that currently require multiple electronic components. This development is expected to help create more compact, faster, and energy-efficient microchips for artificial intelligence devices, wearable electronics, and future 3D chips. According to Ixbt.com reports .

Modern processors and microchips contain billions of transistors. The more functions they have, the more complex the circuit becomes and the more space it occupies. Scientists at Pohang University of Science and Technology decided to take a different approach: instead of increasing the number of transistors, they made each one more functional. Zinc oxide and tellurium were used to create the new device, allowing semiconductor layers to be prepared at temperatures up to 200 degrees.

The main feature of the new transistor is its unusual operating principle. In conventional electronics, as voltage increases, more current flows through the transistor. Here, however, the opposite effect occurs at a certain point—the current temporarily decreases. Researchers managed to achieve this transition twice within a single device. In practice, this allows a single transistor to process complex signals that would normally require several separate components.

To demonstrate the technology's capabilities, scientists assembled a circuit that quadruples the signal frequency. If traditional electronics required four transistors for this task, the new approach allows it to be done with just one. As a result, the number of required transistors was reduced by 75%, while the amount of data processed per signal cycle increased fourfold.

According to the authors, this technology could be widely used in compact artificial intelligence devices, smartwatches, earbuds, and sensors. The project was funded by the South Korean Ministry of Science and ICT.