IBM Research

A new semiconductor is coming to Silicon Valley. Researchers at IBM's laboratories announced their newest integrated circuit in a paper published in Nature Communications, and the device is among the first to employ graphene, a single layer of carbon molecules, in place of silicon, the industry favorite.

Although the graphene circuit performed rather modestly—as a proof of concept, scientists used it to send a single text message containing the letters I.B.M.—the researchers suspect that the carbon-based tech may eventually challenge silicon circuits for industry supremacy.

"We were able to make the most sophisticated graphene integrated circuit built so far," says Supratik Guha, director of physical sciences at IBM. "It rivals the performance of silicon-based circuits."

Graphene is foremost among the so-called "two-dimensional" nanomaterials. These sheets are only one molecule thick, which allows electrons to travel down the compound with ease. For electronic devices like smartphones, high electron mobility often translates into consumers getting more bang for their buck.

IBM Research

"Graphene has very high electron mobility, so you can expect that to translate into better power efficiency," says Guha. "You can get the same performance at lower voltage."

More efficient circuits will undoubtedly mean faster data transfers for smartphones and tablets. But Guha is more interested in speeding up sensors like RFID tags, or smart labels. "A lot of information in the future will be from physical sensors—that will be a huge part of data analytics," Guha says. "Information will need to be communicated, and graphene could play a big role over there." But it may be some time before IBM can deliver graphene tech to a phone or a sensor near you; those applications remain years away.

Ultimately Guha believes that graphene-based technology will prove less expensive than silicon, but he cautions that it is too early to be sure. "Graphene research has stimulated the entire field of two-dimensional electronic materials," says Guha. "That field is at quite an early stage, so there are no clear answers yet."

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