IPFS News Link • Science, Medicine and Technology
Graphene To Replace Silicon In Computer Chips?
• http://www.efytimes.com, Upasana RajpalA third dimension has been opened up in graphene research by a team of scientists from Manchester lead by Nobel laureates Professor Andre Geim and Professor Konstantin Novoselov. According to a paper published this week in Science, just a transistor may be a missing link for graphene to become the next silicon.
The material Graphene is one atomic plane of carbon and has many unique properties, from electronic to chemical and from optical to mechanical. Graphene can also be used as the basic material for computer chips instead of silicon. This major potential property of the material has attracted major chip manufactures, including IBM, Samsung, Texas Instruments and Intel. Several groups across the world have already demonstrated individual transistors with very high frequencies (up to 300 GHz).
The material Graphene is one atomic plane of carbon and has many unique properties, from electronic to chemical and from optical to mechanical. Graphene can also be used as the basic material for computer chips instead of silicon. This major potential property of the material has attracted major chip manufactures, including IBM, Samsung, Texas Instruments and Intel. Several groups across the world have already demonstrated individual transistors with very high frequencies (up to 300 GHz).
The high frequency transistors can unfortunately not be packed densely in a computer chip as they leak too much current, even in the most insulating state of graphene, states a report from the University of Manchester. This electric current would cause the chips to melt within fraction of seconds.
Since 2004, when Manchester researchers had reported their Nobel-winning graphene findings, this problem has been around. Even after a worldwide effort to solve the problem, no solution has been found yet.
Since 2004, when Manchester researchers had reported their Nobel-winning graphene findings, this problem has been around. Even after a worldwide effort to solve the problem, no solution has been found yet.
