Scientists have created the world's first working graphene-based semiconductor, which could pave the way for chips that power much faster PCs and quantum computers in the future.
The new semiconducting material, made from epitaxial graphene (a particular crystal structure of carbon chemically bonded to silicon carbide), allows for more mobility than silicon, meaning electrons move with less resistance. Transistors made in this way can operate at terahertz frequencies — 10 times faster than the silicon-based transistors used in chips used today — the researchers wrote in a study published Jan. 3 in the journal Nature.
