Anenome
10-27-2010, 09:04 PM
A group of UCLA researchers and engineers have developed a new fabrication process for graphene transistors using a nanowire as the self-aligned gate.
A group of UCLA (http://www.edn.com/common/jumplink.php?target=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ucla.edu%2F)( University of California, Los Angeles) researchers and engineers have used a new fabrication method to create what they say is the highest speed graphene transistors to date, with a cutoff frequency up to 300 GHz.
Graphene, a one-atom-thick layer of graphitic carbon, has in recent years been heralded as a possible replacement to silicon in semiconductors (http://www.edn.com/article/473477-Graphene_could_replace_silicon_in_semiconductors_u niversity_says.php). But the material is not without challenges.The UCLA group, lead by professor of chemistry and biochemistry Xiangfeng Duan, noted that traditional techniques for fabricating graphene often lead to deteriorations in device quality. As such, the team developed a new fabrication process for graphene transistors using a nanowire as the self-aligned gate.
"This new strategy overcomes two limitations previously encountered in graphene transistors," Duan said in a statement. "First, it doesn't produce any appreciable defects in the graphene during fabrication, so the high carrier mobility is retained. Second, by using a self-aligned approach with a nanowire as the gate, the group was able to overcome alignment difficulties previously encountered and fabricate very short-channel devices with unprecedented performance."
The UCLA group noted that with a cutoff frequency up to 300 GHz, the resulting transistors are comparable to today's transistors from high-electron mobility materials such gallium arsenide or indium phosphide. The group is currently taking additional efforts to scale up the approach and further boost the speed.
Duan worked with two other researchers from the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA, Yu Huang, an assistant professor of materials science and engineering at the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and Kang Wang, a professor of electrical engineering at the Samueli School, on the technique.(Full article (http://www.edn.com/article/510523-UCLA_claims_300_GHz_graphene_transistors.php))
Note, this won't result in 300 ghz chips, get your head out of the clouds :P What significant is that graphene could replace silicon ultimately.
A group of UCLA (http://www.edn.com/common/jumplink.php?target=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ucla.edu%2F)( University of California, Los Angeles) researchers and engineers have used a new fabrication method to create what they say is the highest speed graphene transistors to date, with a cutoff frequency up to 300 GHz.
Graphene, a one-atom-thick layer of graphitic carbon, has in recent years been heralded as a possible replacement to silicon in semiconductors (http://www.edn.com/article/473477-Graphene_could_replace_silicon_in_semiconductors_u niversity_says.php). But the material is not without challenges.The UCLA group, lead by professor of chemistry and biochemistry Xiangfeng Duan, noted that traditional techniques for fabricating graphene often lead to deteriorations in device quality. As such, the team developed a new fabrication process for graphene transistors using a nanowire as the self-aligned gate.
"This new strategy overcomes two limitations previously encountered in graphene transistors," Duan said in a statement. "First, it doesn't produce any appreciable defects in the graphene during fabrication, so the high carrier mobility is retained. Second, by using a self-aligned approach with a nanowire as the gate, the group was able to overcome alignment difficulties previously encountered and fabricate very short-channel devices with unprecedented performance."
The UCLA group noted that with a cutoff frequency up to 300 GHz, the resulting transistors are comparable to today's transistors from high-electron mobility materials such gallium arsenide or indium phosphide. The group is currently taking additional efforts to scale up the approach and further boost the speed.
Duan worked with two other researchers from the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA, Yu Huang, an assistant professor of materials science and engineering at the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and Kang Wang, a professor of electrical engineering at the Samueli School, on the technique.(Full article (http://www.edn.com/article/510523-UCLA_claims_300_GHz_graphene_transistors.php))
Note, this won't result in 300 ghz chips, get your head out of the clouds :P What significant is that graphene could replace silicon ultimately.