The microelectronics industry is on thin ice. There’s an oxygen-rich, insulating layer inside transistors that’s become dangerously thin as circuitry has shrunk. At risk is the steady pace of innovation that the industry has maintained for more than 40 years (SN: 3/25/00, p. 204: Looking for Mr. Goodoxide).
VACANT LOTS. A new electron microscopy method reveals an oxygen-deprived layer (top) in this strontium titanate sample.
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