Keith Mack
Moore's Law states that the number of transistors per area doubles every 18 to 24 months, but this trend is approaching its physical limitations due to the current silicon technology. Scientists are now looking for alternative materials to continue the progress of Moore's Law. Graphene, a sheet-thin carbon material, is a very attractive option as it offers excellent electrical and thermal conductivity and is stronger than diamond. Researchers have developed a technique called nano-origami to build graphene chips 100 times smaller than normal ones. Another team, Destination 2D, has demonstrated a novel technique of growing graphene that is CMOS compatible, promising a 100x current density improvement over copper. These advancements in graphene technology could become the facilitator that extends Moore's Law further into the future.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Moore's Law | States that the number of transistors per area doubles every 18-24 months |
| Moore's Law Status | Approaching its end due to physical limitations of silicon technology |
| Graphene | A 2D material that can potentially extend Moore's Law |
| Graphene Properties | Excellent electrical and thermal conductivity, high strength, flexibility, and thinness |
| Graphene Benefits | Reduced resistivity, improved current-carrying capacity, enhanced heat dissipation |
| Graphene Applications | Transistors, interconnects, nano-origami chips, ultra-compact high-performing chips |
| Graphene Techniques | Growing, doping/intercalation, wafer-scale deposition, 3D integration with 2D materials |
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What You'll Learn
Graphene's superior electrical and thermal conductivity
Moore's Law states that the number of transistors per area doubles every 18 to 24 months. However, this law is approaching its end with current silicon technology. Silicon generates too much resistance to electron flow, creating too much heat and consuming too much power when scaled down to an extremely small size.
Graphene is a promising alternative to silicon and copper, as it offers superior electrical and thermal conductivity. Graphene can conduct electricity 100 times better than silicon and has excellent thermal properties, making it an excellent material for thermal management. Its high thermoelectric power suggests its potential for use in energy-harvesting applications.
Graphene's superior electrical conductivity can be attributed to its ambipolar electric field effect, which results in higher charge carrier mobilities than those of semiconductors. The specific heats of graphene and graphite have been derived, and the thermal conductivity of carbon allotropes containing graphene has been explained.
Graphene's thermal conductivity can be further enhanced through doping. For example, Ma et al. doped bromine (Br) onto graphene fibers to improve their thermoelectric properties. Doping with Br increases the Seebeck coefficient and electrical conductivity. Graphene's thermal conductivity is also superior to carbon nanotubes, making it beneficial for electronic applications.
The sheet-thin carbon material is stronger than diamond and has been used in heat dissipation technology for iPhones. Researchers have also demonstrated a graphene interconnect technique at the chip level, which promises a 100x current density improvement over copper. By wrinkling a sheet of graphene, researchers have also been able to create minuscule electronic components without adding any additional materials.
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Graphene's ability to be patterned and doped to reduce resistivity
Moore's Law states that the number of transistors per area doubles every 18 to 24 months. However, this law is approaching its end with current silicon technology. The semiconductor industry is facing challenges in shrinking down transistors and their interconnects due to basic physical limitations. Copper interconnects, which are commonly used, become more resistive when scaled down, resulting in decreased information-carrying capacity and increased energy consumption.
This is where graphene comes into the picture as a potential saviour of Moore's Law. Graphene is a sheet-thin carbon material that offers excellent electrical and thermal conductivity, even outperforming silver in terms of resistivity at room temperature. It exhibits high electron mobility, with values exceeding 15000 cm2⋅V−1⋅s−1, and its corresponding resistivity is lower than that of silver, the best conductor at room temperature.
The key advantage of graphene lies in its ability to be patterned and doped to reduce resistivity. After the graphene interconnects are patterned, the graphene layers are doped with atoms like iron chloride, bromine, or lithium through a technique called intercalation. These doping atoms are diffused between the graphene sheets, donating electrons or electron holes, which results in higher current densities. This is a significant improvement over copper, as the current-carrying capacity of graphene interconnects increases as they are scaled down, thanks to the enhanced effectiveness of the intercalation technique for thinner lines.
The ability to dope graphene and reduce its resistivity is crucial in prolonging the validity of Moore's Law. By utilising graphene interconnects, researchers can overcome the limitations of copper interconnects, which hinder the continued miniaturisation of transistors and their interconnects. Graphene's superior electrical and thermal conductivity, combined with its reduced resistivity through doping, make it an attractive option for creating denser device arrays and more powerful electronic devices.
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Graphene as a replacement for copper interconnects
Moore's Law states that the number of transistors per area doubles every 18 to 24 months. However, this law is approaching its end with current silicon technology as we are coming to the point where complicated physical effects make it impractical to shrink transistors even further.
Graphene is a potential way to extend Moore's Law. Graphene is a candidate material that does not have the restrictions of silicon. It can conduct electricity 100 times better than silicon and is extremely thin, allowing for the creation of electronic devices as small as a molecule.
Graphene has emerged as a viable alternative to copper interconnects in electronic circuits. Copper was the optimal material for interconnects in integrated circuits (ICs) throughout most of the 20th century. However, as the interconnect size continued to shrink, copper interconnects became less efficient, consumed more power, and were more prone to permanent failure.
Graphene, with its large carrier mobility and thermal conductivity, coupled with a small material volume, can address the limitations of copper interconnects. Researchers have demonstrated that stacking nanoribbons of graphene can boost the material's ability to transmit electrical charges. This discovery supports the idea that graphene could replace copper as the best material for interconnects that transmit data and power around computer chips.
In 2012, researchers at the University of Illinois used graphene nanoribbons to produce large current densities, surpassing those normally achieved in copper wires by a factor of 1000. The nanoribbons were less than 100nm wide and only a fraction of a nanometer high. Additionally, researchers at Aalto University in Finland have successfully fabricated extremely thin metallic graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) that are only 5 carbon atoms wide. Results suggest that these nanoribbons could be used as metallic interconnects in future microprocessors, outperforming copper in terms of conductance and resistance to electromigration.
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Graphene's flexibility and space efficiency
Moore's Law states that the number of transistors per area doubles every 18 to 24 months. However, this law is approaching its limit due to the physical constraints of silicon technology. This is where graphene comes in. Graphene is a sheet-thin carbon material with excellent electrical and thermal conductivity and superior strength to diamond. Its two-dimensional, atom-thick structure makes it a flexible and mechanically strong material.
The flexibility of graphene also enables a novel technique called "nano-origami," where wrinkles or kinks are created in a layer of graphene, causing it to behave like a transistor without adding any additional materials. This process allows for the creation of minuscule electronic components and smaller, faster computer chips. By using graphene, researchers have been able to build graphene chips 100 times smaller than normal ones, pushing the boundaries of miniaturization.
Additionally, graphene's space efficiency is further enhanced by its ability to improve as interconnects are scaled down. Unlike copper interconnects, which become more resistive when scaled down, graphene's current-carrying capacity improves due to the effectiveness of the intercalation technique at thinner lines. This makes graphene an attractive option for replacing copper interconnects, improving overall device performance, and prolonging the validity of Moore's Law.
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Graphene's potential to create ultra-small microchips
Moore's Law states that the number of transistors per area doubles every 18 to 24 months. However, this law is approaching its physical limitations with current silicon technology. This is because silicon generates too much resistance to electron flow, creating too much heat and consuming too much power when produced in extremely small sizes.
Graphene, on the other hand, is an atomically thin and stable 2D material with excellent electrical and thermal conductivity. It is a promising candidate to overcome the challenges of conventional integrated circuits and create ultra-small microchips. Graphene can conduct electricity 100 times better than silicon and is extremely thin, allowing for the creation of electronic devices as small as a molecule.
Researchers from the University of Sussex have demonstrated the potential of graphene by creating minuscule electronic components through a process called "nano-origami". By wrinkling a sheet of graphene, they were able to make it behave like a transistor without adding any additional materials. This technique can make computer chips smaller and faster, which is critical as manufacturers reach the limit of traditional semiconductor technology.
Additionally, graphene's layered nature and pristine interfaces make it highly space-efficient and immune to surface defects. It can also be combined with other 2D materials, such as hexagonal boron nitride and transitional metal dichalcogenides, to create ultra-compact, high-performing electronic chips. Furthermore, graphene's superior electrical and thermal conductivity can address the issues with copper interconnects, which become more resistive when scaled down, leading to decreased information-carrying capacity and increased energy consumption.
In conclusion, graphene has the potential to revolutionize the creation of ultra-small microchips by overcoming the limitations of silicon and enhancing the performance and size of electronic devices.
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Frequently asked questions
Moore's Law states that the number of transistors per area doubles every 18-24 months. This has driven the entire computer industry for the last 50 years.
The law is approaching its physical limitations because transistors can only be shrunk so much. Silicon, the material used to make transistors, generates too much resistance to electron flow, creating too much heat and consuming too much power when scaled down.
Graphene is a 2D material that is atomically thin, flexible, and highly conductive. It can be used to make transistors and interconnects that are smaller and faster than their silicon or copper counterparts, overcoming the physical limitations of Moore's Law.
