A replacement for the silicon transistor – the heart of the modern computer – may be closer than expected, thanks to a material discovered in the 16th century.
For the last 20 years, the number of transistors that can be fitted onto a computer chip has doubled about every two years. This trend can’t continue indefinitely, however, as shrinking silicon transistors down eventually makes them less efficient.
Recently a substance called graphene – hexagonal arrays of carbon atoms in sheets one atom thick – has been touted as a promising alternative to silicon. One hundred times thinner than the smallest silicon transistor possible,…
