Submission + - Carbon transistor possible Silicon successor?
dave_the_dodo writes: New Scientist are reporting on a new carbon transistor[newscientisttech.com] 4 times smaller than the smallest silicon transistors. The transistors can be made from sheets of carbon just one-tenth of a nanometre thick.
From the article:
The transistors are made of graphene, a sheet of carbon atoms in a flat honeycomb arrangement. Graphene makes graphite when stacked in layers, and carbon nanotubes when rolled into a tube.
Graphene also conducts electricity faster than most materials since electrons can travel through in straight lines between atoms without being scattered. This could ultimately mean faster, more efficient electronic components that also require less power.