Researchers at Universite Paris-Sud 11 and CNRS have been looking into the use of the insulator strontium titanate, a good prospect for future microelectronics innovation.
They placed a conductive layer just 2 nm in thickness on to the transparent material and found it could be possible to give multiple different functions to a single device built around the layered conductor.
For instance, the properties of the materials used include thermoelectricity, magnetism and superconductivity, among others.
The substance is also relatively easy to manufacture, which could make finished electronic components built using it cheaper to produce.
According to the scientists, alternatives to silicon semiconductors are being sought in order to "sustain the pace of periodic upgrades in the performance of microelectronics devices beyond 2020".
This could refer to Moore's Law, the principle that states the processing power of integrated circuits will continue to double every 18-24 months, without any increase in physical size.
