IBM scientists create world's fastest graphene transistor

Graphene may one day allow the creation of processors operating at 1000GHz.

If Moore's law is to continue to be proven correct every couple of years, we will eventually need new materials to construct processors and associated components from. Some believe that the materials and construction methods we are using today are nearing the end of their capabilities and lots of research is underway around the world to find future materials for transistors and processors that will provide more performance.



IBM Labs scientists have demonstrated what they claim to be the world's fastest graphene transistor. Graphene is a single layer of carbon atoms bound in a hexagonal arrangement that is only an atom thick. The properties of the carbon in graphene provide unique electrical, thermal, and mechanical properties that can be taken advantage of in the construction of transistors and other components.

The graphene transistor created by the scientists in the IBM labs was able to operate at the highest cut-off frequency achieved so far by a graphene device of 100 billion cycles per second or 100GHz. Some researchers believe that Graphene can lead to processors some day that run at speeds as fast as 1000GHz. The process used to create the graphene transistor is compatible with processes used for creating silicon devices in factories today.