IBM makes first graphene integrated circuit
esearchers at IBM have created the first integrated circuit using a graphene transistor. Graphene, first isolated in 2004, is a thin, highly conductive carbon film that has been touted as a potential replacement for silicon.
A mass-produced graphene transistor is a long way from the consumer market. The IBM circuit was designed as a proof-of-concept and not for commercial use. However, the circuit can handle frequencies up to 10 GHz, and its performance changes little based on temperature. It performed roughly the same between temperatures of 300 and 400 kelvins (roughly 27 degrees and 127 degrees Celsius).
“Ultimately, we should be able to go a lot faster,” IBM scientist Keith Jenkins told IEEE Spectrum’s Neil Savage, “This is not a limit at all.”