The challenge of CMOS devices and complex metal oxides

By Jennifer Sanders on March 5, 2015

If you own a digital camera or laptop computer, you probably rely on a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) device or two. CMOS devices are favorable since they are far cheaper to manufacture and consume a fraction of the power when compared with their main alternative, charged-coupled device (CCD) sensors. However, in order to move beyond CMOS and improve current device technologies, the answer lies in employing high-κ materials; those with a high dielectric constant (κ). Integrating complex metal oxides is one such solution discussed by UCLA researchers Younghee Kim, Calvin Pham and Jane P Chang in a topical review recently published in JPhysD [1], in which they outline the importance of, and challenges associated with, such integration.