Chances for graphene-based electronics never looked better than they are now
Graphene’s incredible properties – including superconductivity – made it almost too conductive to work with computers. Graphene transistors packed densely in a computer chip leaked too much current and instantly caused the chip to melt.
Russo-British scientists Professor Andre Geim and Professor Konstantin Novoselov – who jointly won the 2010 Nobel Physics Prize for their work in graphene – seem to have got around that problem.
Their innovation was aligning the graphene atoms vertically rather than laterally (in plane) – moving into the third dimension. They used graphene as an electrode from which electrons tunnelled through a dielectric into another metal (a tunnelling diode). Then they exploited a truly unique feature of graphene – that an external voltage can strongly change the energy of tunnelling electrons. As a result they got a new type of a device – a “vertical field-effect tunnelling transistor” in which graphene is a critical ingredient.
“It is a new vista for graphene research and chances for graphene-based electronics never looked better than they are now,” said Professor Novoselov.
Bookmark this page for “superconducting graphene” and check back regularly as these articles update on a very frequent basis. The view is set to “news”. Try clicking on “video” and “2” for more articles.