Zinc oxide-tellurium semiconductor reduces chip complexity by 75%

# Zinc oxide-tellurium semiconductor reduces chip complexity by 75% Source: [https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/semiconductor-device-cuts-transistor-count](https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/semiconductor-device-cuts-transistor-count) Chipmakers face a difficult balancing act\. Consumers want smarter devices with faster AI features, but they also expect gadgets to stay small, cool, and energy\-efficient\. Engineers now pack more computing power into watches, earbuds, and compact sensors than entire computers handled decades ago\. A research team in South Korea believes it has found a way to ease that pressure\. Scientists at POSTECH, or Pohang University of Science and Technology, developed a semiconductor device that can perform several circuit operations on its own\. The design could simplify future chips while delivering faster processing speeds for AI\-driven electronics\. ## Rethinking transistor design The project focused on reducing the number of components modern chips require\. Most semiconductor systems divide computing tasks across many transistors and circuits\. As devices become more advanced, that complexity keeps growing\. Professor Byoung Hun Lee and Dr\. Jae Hyeon Jun led the research team behind the new approach\. Instead of adding more components, the researchers redesigned the transistor itself to handle multiple functions simultaneously\. The team used zinc oxide and tellurium to create the device\. Both materials can form thin semiconductor films at relatively low temperatures\. That feature gives manufacturers more flexibility when stacking additional circuitry onto existing chips\. Modern semiconductor production limits heat exposure during later manufacturing stages because excessive temperatures can damage previously built structures\. Materials that work below roughly 392 degrees Fahrenheit could therefore become valuable for next\-generation chip packaging\. ## Breaking normal current flow The transistor also behaves differently from conventional semiconductor devices\. In most[chips](https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/purdue-gccs-silicon-carbide-semiconductor-manufacturing), electrical current increases steadily as voltage rises\. The POSTECH device does not follow that pattern\. Researchers engineered the transistor to create negative differential transconductance, or NDT\. In that state, current temporarily drops even as voltage continues increasing\. The team then achieved a double\-NDT effect, where the current drop happens twice inside the same device\. That unusual behavior gives the transistor greater signal\-processing flexibility\. The effect depends on how much the zinc oxide and tellurium layers overlap inside the structure\. A smaller overlap produces one current transition\. A larger overlap creates both sideways and vertical current movement at the same time\. That interaction generates two current peaks and allows the transistor to handle more advanced circuit functions alone\. ## Smaller chips, faster speeds To demonstrate the design, researchers built a frequency quadrupler\. The circuit converts one incoming signal into four output signals\. Traditional[semiconductor](https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/fastest-ever-quantum-semiconductor)layouts usually need several transistors to perform that operation\. The POSTECH design completed the task using a single transistor\. Researchers said the approach reduced transistor requirements by 75%\. Circuit testing also showed data processing speeds increased fourfold during a single signal cycle\. The researchers believe the technology could help power compact AI hardware, wearable electronics, and densely packed three\-dimensional chip systems\. “This study demonstrates the possibility of implementing complex circuit functions at the level of a single device,” Lee said\. South Korea’s Ministry of Science and ICT and the National Research Foundation of Korea funded the research\. The study is published in the journal*[Advanced Functional Materials](https://advanced.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/adfm.74948)*\. ### Recommended Articles  Get the latest in engineering, tech, space & science \- delivered daily to your inbox\. Aamir is a seasoned tech journalist with experience at Exhibit Magazine, Republic World, and PR Newswire\. With a deep love for all things tech and science, he has spent years decoding the latest innovations and exploring how they shape industries, lifestyles, and the future of humanity\.