First topological transistor from Na3Bi

Applying an electric field switches conduction mode of a topological material

FLEET researchers achieved a significant landmark in the search for a functional topological transistor in 2017, using an applied electric field to switch the electronic conduction mode of a topological material.

A ‘gate’ electrode was used to switch the conduction mode in the topological material Na3Bi.

Na3Bi is a topological Dirac semimetal (TDS), a material that has been referred to as ‘3D graphene’.“Electrons travelling within a TDS behave similarly to graphene, moving relativistically (ie, as if they have no mass),”

explains FLEET associate investigator Dr Mark Edmonds, a co-author on the paper.