graphene transistor
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Samsung pushes graphene one step closer to silicon supremacy
Graphene has long-held notions of grandeur over its current silicon overlord, but a few practical issues have always kept its takeover bid grounded. Samsung, however, thinks it's cracked at least one of those -- graphene's inability to switch off current. Previous attempts to use graphene as a transistor have involved converting it to a semi-conductor, but this also reduces its electron mobility, negating much of the benefit. Samsung's Advanced Institute of Technology has created a graphene-silicon "Schottky barrier" that brings graphene this much-needed current-killing ability, without losing its electron-shuffling potential. The research also explored potential logic device applications based on the same technology. So, does this mean we'll finally get our flea-sized super computer implant? Maybe, not just yet, but the wheels have certainly been oiled.
Korean researchers create stretchy transistors made of graphene
Graphene's greatness comes from its flexibility, both figurative -- you can make everything from transparent speakers to stain resistant pants with the stuff -- and literal. And now researchers in Korea have given us another pliable graphene product by creating a stretchy transistor from the carbon allotrope. The trick was accomplished by first layering sheets of graphene on copper foil and bonding it all to a rubber substrate. To complete the transistor channels were etched onto its surface, then electrodes and gate insulators made of ion gel were printed onto the device. What resulted was a transistor that could stretch up to five percent without losing any electrical efficiency, and the plan is to increase its elasticity through continued research. Keep up the good work, fellas, we can't wait for our flexible phone future.
IBM outs integrated circuit that's made from wafer-size graphene, smaller than a grain of salt
Lest you don't care what your circuits are made of, listen up: graphene's the thinnest electrical material, comprising just a single atomic layer. In addition to its electrical, thermal, mechanical, and optical properties, researchers dig it because it has the potential to be less expensive, more energy-efficient, and more compact than your garden-variety silicon. So imagine IBM's delight when a team of company researchers built the first circuit that fits all the components, including inductors and a graphene transistor, on a single wafer -- a setup that consumes less space than a grain of salt. The advantage, scientists say, is better performance than what you'd get from a circuit combining a graphene transistor with external components. In fact, the researchers got the circuit's broadband frequency mixer to operate at 10GHz , a feat that could have implications for wireless gadgets running the gamut from Bluetooth headsets to RFID tags. That's all just a layman's explanation, of course -- check out the latest issue of Science for the full paper in all of its technical glory.
IBM shows off 155GHz graphene transistor in the name of DARPA research
IBM might be cautious about touting graphene as a a silicon killer, but that hasn't stopped it from pushing the production of ever faster graphene transistors. With the recent demonstration of a 155GHz graphene transistor, the firm successfully outdid its previous record-setting efforts, which produced a cut-off frequency of 100GHz. What's more, the thing is also IBM's smallest to date, with a gate length of 40 nanometers; that's 200 nanometers less than the 100GHz iteration. This smaller, faster transistor was produced as part of a DARPA research project that aims to develop high-performance RF (radio frequency) transistors. So, no, we probably won't be seeing the things in our PCs anytime soon, but it looks like they could be right at home in war machines of the future.
IBM demonstrates 100GHz graphene transistor
It's just been a little over a week since IBM researchers announced that they managed to open up a bandgap for graphene-based field-effect transistors, but they're now already back to show off what that's made possible: a 100GHz graphene transistor. What's more, this latest record-setting transistor (which IBM hopes will one day replace silicon transistors) was made using processing technology that's compatible with that currently used in advanced silicon device fabrication, which should no doubt help speed up its eventual commercialization. Of course, any widespread adoption is still quite a ways away, but IBM says that this new transistor "demonstrates clearly that graphene can be utilized to produce high performance devices and integrated circuits." For those keeping score, this first-of-its-kind transistor already beats the frequency performance of current state-of-the-art silicon transistors of the same gate length, which now top out at a mere 40GHz.
IBM opens up graphene bandgap, edges closer to commercialization
Graphene transistors have long been touted as the next big thing to deliver a true leap in electronics of all sorts, but there's been a few considerable limitations holding them back from fully replacing silicon. IBM now says it's managed to overcome one of the biggest hurdles, however, and has announced that it's been able to open a "bandgap" for graphene field-effect transistors (or FETs). As EETimes reports, that's important because while graphene does have a higher carrier mobility than silicon, it doesn't have a natural bandgap, which has so far kept the on-off ratio of graphene transistors far lower than their silicon counterparts. Of course, IBM insists that its still only just scratched the surface, and says that it's already hard at work on opening up an even wider bandgap, achieving even higher electric fields, further improving the on-off current ratios of graphene FETs.
