A team of physicists led by Professor Dmitry Turchinovich at Bielefeld University, in collaboration with researchers from the Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research Dresden (IFW Dresden), has achieved a significant breakthrough in nanoelectronics that could transform AI hardware implementations.
The research, published in Nature Communications on June 5, 2025, demonstrates a novel method to control atomically thin semiconductors using ultrashort light pulses at unprecedented speeds. The team developed specialized nanoscale antennas that convert terahertz light into vertical electric fields within two-dimensional materials such as molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂).
"Traditionally, such vertical electric fields, used to switch transistors and other electronic devices, are applied using electronic gating, but this method is fundamentally limited to relatively slow response times," explains Professor Turchinovich. "Our approach uses the terahertz light itself to generate the control signal within the semiconductor material – allowing an industry-compatible, light-driven, ultrafast optoelectronic technology that was not possible until now."
The technique enables real-time control of electronic structures on timescales of less than a picosecond – one trillionth of a second – which is orders of magnitude faster than conventional electronic switching methods. The researchers demonstrated that both optical and electronic properties of the material could be selectively altered using these light pulses.
Dr. Tomoki Hiraoka, lead author of the study and a Marie Skłodowska Curie Fellow in Professor Turchinovich's group, played a key role in the experimental implementation. The complex 3D-2D nanoantennas necessary to produce the effect were fabricated at IFW Dresden by a team led by Dr. Andy Thomas.
This innovation has significant implications for AI hardware, potentially enabling much faster and more energy-efficient computing systems. The ultrafast switching capabilities could lead to new generations of signal control devices, electronic switches, and sensors critical for advanced AI applications that require extreme processing speeds.
The technology shows promise for implementation in various fields including high-speed data transmission, advanced computing architectures, imaging systems, and quantum technologies – all crucial components of next-generation AI infrastructure that demands increasingly rapid processing capabilities.