| Oct 27, 2025 |
Laser instantly transforms semiconductor properties in a single stepA single laser pulse can instantly switch semiconductor conductivity, turning titanium oxide into a p type material and replacing long complex manufacturing steps.(Nanowerk News) A research team led by Professor Hyukjun Kwon at the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST) in South Korea has shown that a laser pulse lasting only seconds can completely change the electrical nature of a semiconductor. Their new process turns titanium oxide from an electron based material into one that carries positive charges, replacing hours of complex manufacturing with a single step (Small, "One‐Step Laser‐Induced Oxidation and Doping for Tailored p‐Type Conversion of Al‐Doped TiO₂"). |
| Semiconductors run all modern electronics. In n type materials, electrons move the current, while in p type materials, holes, or missing electrons, take their place. Devices such as smartphones and computers need both to function efficiently. |
| Titanium oxide is valued for being stable, safe, and abundant, but it has worked only as an n type semiconductor because its rigid crystal structure blocks the movement of holes. That has kept it from reaching its full potential in circuit design. |
| The new approach, called Laser Induced Oxidation and Doping Integration (LODI), changes that instantly. The DGIST team placed aluminum oxide on a thin titanium film and hit it with a laser. In seconds, aluminum ions spread through the titanium while oxygen combined with it to form titanium oxide. The process disrupted the balance of electrons, created holes, and turned the material into a p type semiconductor. |
| Traditional methods for this conversion take many hours, require high heat, and depend on expensive vacuum systems. The LODI method achieves the same result almost instantly, combining oxidation, doping, and patterning in one step. It could lower production costs and speed up the development of advanced chips. |
| “This study holds significance as it converts titanium oxide semiconductors, which have been mainly used in the n type, to the p type while streamlining the conventional complex process into a single laser process,” said Professor Hyukjun Kwon. “This original technology that can precisely control the conductivity type of oxide semiconductors will serve as a foundation for implementing next gen highly integrated and reliable devices.” |
| Source: Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (Note: Content may be edited for style and length) |
