Silicon may soon give way to carbon when it comes to making computer chips.
Scientists at the Tel Aviv University (TAU) in Israel claim to have invented a new type of chip transistors based on carbon. The so-called carbon transistors use C60 molecules with the name coming from a 60 carbon atom structure and are said to provide much more efficiency while being smaller than current analogues.
In addition the C60 transistors can both store and transfer energy and do not need the capacitor that is required for a silicon transistor. The result would be more room for transistors and reduced energy consumption. According to Elad Mentovich, a scientist on the transistor team, the carbon transistors could be built as small as 1 nm and manufactured on today’s manufacturing equipment.
“When this new technology is integrated into future devices, you will have much more memory on your smartphones and tablets, approaching the level of a laptop,” Mentovich said. “With that kind of memory, you’ll be able to run applications simultaneously, and because it is low voltage, power consumption will fall and battery life will be longer.”
Right now the scientists are looking for a company that can actually produce the carbon transistors. Unfortunately it’s quite obvious that despite all advantages, we won’t get to see them inside devices any time soon.
Source: Tom’s Hardware