A simple surface coating could make it easier to reliably make parts of next-generation computer chips using silicon and a promising new class of materials called transition metal dichalcogenides (TMD). By coating the surface of TMD with oxygen or fluorine before bombarding it with plasma ions, the team determined that the top layer of atoms could be removed from the material while lower layers were less likely to be damaged. The approach could help manufacturers build better computer chips and processors in the future.

Inside computer chips are billions of tiny transistors made from silicon. But the material is approaching its limits. In an effort to build smaller, more capable devices,…

A simple surface coating could make it easier to reliably make parts of next-generation computer chips using silicon and a promising new class of materials called transition metal…