Carbon nano-transistors surpass silicon transistors for the first time

According to a report recently reported by the University of Wisconsin-Madison official website, the 1-inch-size carbon nano-transistor successfully developed by the school's materials scientists exceeded performance of silicon transistors and gallium arsenide transistors for the first time. This breakthrough is a major milestone in the development of carbon nanotubes, and will lead carbon nanotubes in the field of logic circuits, high-speed wireless communications and other semiconductor electronic devices.

The carbon nanotube wall is only one atom thick and is one of the best conductive materials and is therefore considered to be the most promising next-generation transistor material. The ultra-small space of carbon nanotubes makes it possible to quickly change the direction of the current flowing through it, so it can reach 5 times the speed of silicon transistors or consume only 1/5 of the power of silicon transistors. Because some key technical challenges cannot be overcome, the performance of carbon nano-transistors has lagged far behind that of silicon transistors and gallium arsenide transistors and cannot be used in computer chips and personal electronics.

The latest carbon nano-transistor obtains 1.9 times the current of the Silicon Transistor, and for the first time, the performance surpasses the highest level of technology of the silicon transistor. The research papers led by Professors of Materials Engineering, Mike Arnold and Padma Koparin, introduce the latest research papers published in Science Progress.

Carbon nanotubes are often mixed with metal nanotubes, which can cause short circuits in electronic devices, thereby destroying the electrical conductivity of carbon nanotubes. The research team used the polymer to obtain the unique conditions for the removal of metal nanotubes, eventually reducing the content of metal nanotubes to less than 0.01%, which is almost ultra-high purity carbon nanotubes.

The research team also developed a dissolution method that successfully removed the residue generated during the manufacture of carbon nanotubes. Arnold said: "Our research has overcome multiple obstacles faced by carbon nanotubes at the same time, and we have finally obtained the first-inch carbon nano-transistor with the performance of the first super-silicon transistor. Many of the ideas of carbon nanotubes still have yet to be realized, but we have finally been in twenty years. After the realization of the catch-up." (Reporter Nie Cuirong)