Every time you use your smartphone to send a text, take a photo or post to social media, countless electrons are doing the heavy lifting behind the scenes by handling inputs and storing that information. But researchers in China have created a new chip that uses just a single electron to store data.
In a study published July 16 in the journal Science, scientists demonstrated a two-dimensional (2D) flash memory chip that can trap a solitary electron at room temperature, reducing the energy needed for processing data.
The device has been nicknamed "Guiyi," which means "return to one" in Chinese Buddhism. This is a nod to a single electron being the theoretical minimum it takes to transfer a single bit, with the South China Morning Post likening it to the "holy grail for the semiconductor industry."
A stronger signal from a single electron
The reason this technology could be a big breakthrough, the scientists believe, is that it pr...
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