IBM researchers fabricated transistors field effect transistors formed by a single layer of graphene - in blue, between the electrodes - deposited on a silicon substrate.
Scientists at the Center for Nanotechnology at IBM in Zurich, fabricated transistors with graphene sheets can turn on and off the electronic signals faster than the conventional silicon transistors.
The graphene, the thinnest sheet that is composed of a single layer of carbon atoms arranged in the shape of a chicken-wire, was recently established as a new benchmark electronics.
Besides being the strongest material that exists, the graphene transmits electricity to 100 times faster than any other known material.
Transistors carbon
The graphene transistors, still in early stages of development, may be useful in digital communications, which require a very fast switching to monitor the flow of data transmitted.
In a transistor, a small electrical current is used to control a door through which flows a much larger current. This component can be used both as a key to turn on and off the chain, as an amplifier.
Since the graphene electronic material finest available, and with properties that allow the electric charges flow easily, it was quickly seen as a natural candidate for the construction of transistors operating at frequencies too high.
Operating frequency
Yu-Ming Lin and his colleagues did just that, making transistors field effect transistors formed by a single layer of graphene deposited on a silicon substrate.
The graphene transistors reached an operating frequency of 100 GHz for a gate length of 240 nanometers, far surpassing the previous record achieved by the same group, which was 26 GHz.
The performance of high frequency of these graphene transistors exceeds the silicon transistors that are more advanced, for the same size door.
Revolutionary potential
No one doubts the potential of graphene to revolutionize electronics. You can see that this material has been used to demonstrate the best transistors ever built functions, including the smallest, the thinnest and now the fastest. Recently, a team from MIT has developed a chip based on complete graphene.
However, there are still challenges to the silicon can be finally replaced by these transistors carbon. Among them is the fact that it is extremely difficult to manufacture and manipulate sheets with just one atom thick.
Bibliography
100-GHz Transistors from Epitaxial Wafer-Scale Graphene
Y.-M. Lin, C. Dimitrakopoulos, KA Jenkins, DB Farmer, H.-Y. Chiu, A. Grill, Ph. Avouris
Science
5 February 2010
Vol: 327 - p. 662
DOI: 10.1126/science.1184289
Site: Innovation & Technology
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