The authors of the article, scientists from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT), the Institute of Physics and Technology RAS, and Tohoku University (Japan), proposed a new design for a tunnel transistor based on bilayer graphene, and using modelling, they proved that this material is an ideal platform for low-voltage electronics. However, in most semiconductors the tunneling current is very small and this prevents transistors that are based on these materials from being used in real circuits. Unlike in conventional transistors, where electrons "jump" through the energy barrier, in tunnel transistors the electrons "filter" through the barrier due to the quantum tunneling effect. Tunnel transistors are the most promising candidates to solve this problem. At a lower power, electronic components heat up less, and that means that they are able to operate at a higher clock speed - not one gigahertz, but ten for example, or even one hundred," says the corresponding author of the study, the head of MIPT's Laboratory of Optoelectronics and Two-Dimensional Materials, Dmitry Svintsov.īuilding transistors that are capable of switching at low voltages (less than 0.5 volts) is one of the greatest challenges of modern electronics. "The point is not so much about saving electricity - we have plenty of electrical energy. According to calculations, the increase could be as high as two orders of magnitude.
The most important effect of reducing power consumption is that it enables the clock speed of processors to be increased.
Scientists have developed a new type of graphene-based transistor and using modelling they have demonstrated that it has ultralow power consumption compared with other similar transistor devices.