SEOUL, Feb. 21 (UPI) -- South Korean scientists say they are close to the creation of a super thin semiconductor once considered almost impossible to achieve.
The findings by Choi Hee-cheul of Pohang University of Science and Technology, and Kim Hyun-tak of the state-run Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute, are featured in Nature Nanotechnology, the Korea Times reported.
Choi said he used carbon nanotubes to etch circuits that are thinner than 10 nanometers on the face of silicon wafers, the newspaper said. One nanometer is equal to one billionth of a meter.
The newspaper said Kim is working on a new substance, called a Mott insulator, which instantly changes from a conductive metal to an insulator. Kim said the insulator may be the answer to making super-slim circuits.
