Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Smaller, Faster, Cooler Computers Coming?

Researchers at the University of Manchester (England) recently built the world's smallest transistor (10 atoms wide by 1 atom thick) of graphene, a lattice of carbon atoms just a single atom deep. Graphene sheets can be carved into tiny electronic circuits containing individual transistors not much larger than a molecule. Perhaps the greatest advantage of this revolutionary material is its ability to conduct electrons nearly unimpeded for long distances while resisting heat build up. The efficiency of graphene may be up to 100 times that of silicon allowing for super fast electronic devices to be constructed. Researchers are now working to develop graphene wires that can transport electrons across a chip much more quickly than current technology permits. Read more at:http://www.manchester.ac.uk/aboutus/news/display/?id=3529

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