For the first time, scientists precisely place and test more
than ten thousand carbon nanotube devices in a single chip using mainstream
manufacturing processes
Novel processing method helps pave the way for carbon
technology as a viable alternative to silicon in future computing
IBM scientists have
demonstrated a new approach to carbon nanotechnology that opens up the path for
commercial fabrication of dramatically smaller, faster and more powerful
computer chips. For the first time, more than ten thousand working transistors
made of nano-sized tubes of carbon have been precisely placed and tested in a
single chip using standard semiconductor processes. These carbon devices are
poised to replace and outperform silicon technology allowing further
miniaturization of computing components and leading the way for future
microelectronics.
Aided by rapid innovation over four decades, silicon
microprocessor technology has continually shrunk in size and improved in
performance, thereby driving the information technology revolution. Silicon
transistors, tiny switches that carry information on a chip, have been made
smaller year after year, but they are approaching a point of physical
limitation.
journal reference (abstract free): nature nanotechnology >>