6 replies to this topic

[BeefJeRKy]

Quote

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.

Imagine hundreds of million of these in a CPU. The next decade will be sweet with upcoming graphene electronics, photonics (using photons instead of electrons in circuits), and the era of quantum computing.

[Destiny]

Hmm...this seems like a rather interesting prospect...do photons encounter lesser resistance in circuitry than electrons do?

[Ion Cannon!]

Destiny, on 7 Feb 2010, 15:53, said:

Hmm...this seems like a rather interesting prospect...do photons encounter lesser resistance in circuitry than electrons do?

Photons are different to electricity in many ways. They are essentially force carriers, and have no rest mass at all.

[BeefJeRKy]

Destiny, on 7 Feb 2010, 17:53, said:

Hmm...this seems like a rather interesting prospect...do photons encounter lesser resistance in circuitry than electrons do?

They work in different circuits. Electrons travel fairly slowly, but it feels fast because they displace other electrons in the metal or semi-metal circuits. An optical circuit would be much much faster since photons travel at celerity in vacuum (3x10⁸ m/s).

[Sgt. Nuker]

So what would this mean for heat generation in the CPU?

[BeefJeRKy]

Sgt. Nuker, on 8 Feb 2010, 8:50, said:

So what would this mean for heat generation in the CPU?

If these frequencies are reached using the same voltage levels used in MOSFETs, there would be no extra heat generation in a graphene transistor.

[CodeCat]

JRK, on 7 Feb 2010, 17:13, said:

Destiny, on 7 Feb 2010, 17:53, said:

Hmm...this seems like a rather interesting prospect...do photons encounter lesser resistance in circuitry than electrons do?

They work in different circuits. Electrons travel fairly slowly, but it feels fast because they displace other electrons in the metal or semi-metal circuits. An optical circuit would be much much faster since photons travel at celerity in vacuum (3x10⁸ m/s).

Electrons don't move fast, but the force of movement which produces electricity does. Electricity is very similar to sound; rather than the electrons themselves moving much, it is a wave or displacement propagating through the conductor. The wave travels at about 2/3 the speed of light in an ordinary wire, I measured it once.