IBM announced it has created the highest performing nanotubes transistors to date and has proven that carbon nanotubes -- tube-shaped molecules made of carbon atoms that are 50,000 times thinner than a human hair -- can outperform the leading silicon transistor prototypes available today.
By experimenting with different device structures, the IBM researchers were able to achieve the highest transconductance (measure of the current carrying capability) of any carbon nanotube transistor to date. High transconductance implies that transistors can run faster, leading to more powerful integrated circuits.
In addition, the researchers discovered that the carbon nanotube transistors produced more than twice the transconductance per unit width of top-performing silicon transistor prototypes. With the announcement, IBM is taking carbon nanotubes --the strongest and most conductive fibers known -- another step closer to becoming an option for replacing silicon transistors in future devices.
"Proving that carbon nanotubes outperform silicon transistors opens the door for more research related to the commercial viability of nanotubes," said Dr. Phaedon Avouris, manager of nanoscale science, IBM Research. "Carbon nanotubes are already the top candidate to replace silicon when current chip features just can't be made
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