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| Image: University of Texas at Austin, Source: IEEE link below |
Topics: Graphene, Nanotechnology, Semiconductor Technology, STEM
TECHNOLOGY REVIEW: An exotic but tricky-to-use new form of silicon is being eyed as a way to build much faster computer chips. And now, those who see its potential can claim a minor victory by making the first transistors out of the stuff.
The material in question, called silicene, comes in layers of silicon just one-atom thick. This structure gives the material fantastic electrical properties, but it also means it’s devilishly tricky to produce and work with. Even testing its basic properties in the lab has proved difficult.
Now Deji Akinwande, a computer engineer at the University of Texas at Austin, has figured out how to work with the stubborn material well enough to make the first silicene transistors. His first-of-their-kind devices are described today in the journal Nature Nanotechnology, and they live up to silicene’s promise by switching with extraordinary speed.
Another atom-thick material, graphene, which is made from carbon, has gained attention in recent years for its own electrical properties. The appeal of silicene, says Akinwande, is that it’s made from the stuff Silicon Valley was built on. In theory, it should be easier for chipmakers to work with than some new material. “If we can get good properties out of it, it can be translated immediately by the semiconductor industry,” Akinwande says.
Deji received a B.S/M.S. combined degree in Electrical Engineering and Applied Physics from Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio. His master’s research involved the development and characterization of evanescent microwave probes for non-destructive imaging of materials. Afterwards, he gained experience designing and testing a variety of analog circuits from MHz to 110 GHz for network analyzer and signal generator instruments at Agilent Technologies in northern California.
He subsequently worked at XtremeSpectrum, Freescale and Motorola on the modeling, design and testing of the first commercial 100 Mb/s ultra-wideband receiver chip.
He received the Ph.D. degree from Stanford University in December 2009. His thesis focused on the physics, chemistry, materials and electronic properties of carbon materials. He has published widely on carbon nanomaterials in a variety of disciplines including physics, chemistry, materials, and electrical engineering journals.
Professor Akinwande joined UT Austin starting from January 2010, and he is a member of IEEE, APS, ACS, and MRS societies.
Extreme Tech:
Silicene could help create create an alternative to graphene with many of its benefits, Joel Hruska
Nature: Graphene's cousin silicene makes transistor debut, Mark Peplow
Spectrum IEEE: Transistor Made From Silicene for the First Time,
Dexter Johnston
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