The rich array of conventional and exotic electronic properties that can be generated by heterostructures of complex oxides is of great potential value for device applications. Integrated circuits (ICs) built from functional oxides are needed to fully exploit the functionality of oxides. However, it has not yet been possible to fabricate from these materials transistors that switch other transistors, which is a prerequisite for integrating functional oxides into ICs.

Now, new research from an American/German collaboration focuses on monolithically integrated logic circuits in NMOS-technology and chips with 700,000 transistors that utilize the conducting two-dimensional electron liquid generated by nature at the interface between to insulating oxides. Providing the capability to process the signals of functional oxide devices such as sensors directly on oxide chips, these results illustrate the practicability and the potential of oxide electronics.