They get the first functional semiconductor of graphene.

2024/01/04 Galarraga Aiestaran, Ana - Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Materialak
• Fisika
• Elektronika

Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have created the first functional semiconductor of graphene and published their work in the journal Nature. According to him, progress opens the door to a new way of making electronics.

As explained, researchers have managed to overcome the main obstacle of graphene. In fact, graphene does not have the feature known as a band segment, whereby semiconductors turn on and off. However, the graphene semiconductor they have now achieved has a mobility 10 times greater than that of silicon, in addition to other beneficial properties that silicon does not possess.

In fact, it is the result of work that was started a long time ago. The group demonstrated in 2001 that graphene allowed electronics. He later created epitaxial graphene, the only layer that grows on a crystalline face of silicon carbide. Chemically linked to the thread, it began to show semiconductive characteristics. Following this path they have achieved the material they have presented.

According to researchers, epitaxial graphene could change paradigm in the field of electronics and allow completely new technologies, taking advantage of its few characteristics, such as quantum computing.