IBM Creates 10,000 Transistor Carbon Nanotube Computer Chip

by Hilbert Hagedoorn on: 10/31/2012 07:31 AM | source: | 7 comment(s)

IBM has just reached a new pretty significant milestone. They have created a new computer chip based on carbon nanotube technology that has more than 10,000 transistors. This is a far cry from the current generation of silicone-based microprocessors, but it does demonstrate a lot of potential for carbon nanotubes moving forward. As you might remember, carbon nanotubes are constructed with sheets of cabon that are just a single atom thick, rolling them into a cylinder.

These conduct electricity better than silicon and have the perfect shape to act as transistors. Unfortunately, they have to be completely free of inpurities and they have to be aligned perfectly. They're harder to work with, but they could hold the future of computing because carbon nanotubes can also scale much smaller than silicone. It's unlikely that we'll have a Nexus 2013 next year based on carbon nanotube technology, but with the continuing research and innovation at places like IBM, the future of Moore's Law might still be viable.

As you might remember, carbon nanotubes are constructed with sheets of cabon that are just a single atom thick, rolling them into a cylinder. These conduct electricity better than silicon and have the perfect shape to act as transistors. Unfortunately, they have to be completely free of inpurities and they have to be aligned perfectly. They’re harder to work with, but they could hold the future of computing because carbon nanotubes can also scale much smaller than silicone. It’s unlikely that we’ll have a Nexus 2013 next year based on carbon nanotube technology, but with the continuing research and innovation at places like IBM, the future of Moore’s Law might still be viable.

2 pages 1 2

BLEH!
Senior Member

Posts: 6049
Joined: 2010-10-17

#4443935 Posted on: 10/31/2012 12:28 PM

Ooh, I like stuff like this. Second paragraph is repeated though...

HeavyHemi
Senior Member

Posts: 6956
Joined: 2008-10-27

#4444561 Posted on: 11/01/2012 05:38 AM

This is what I personally thought was the most important...

"However, they’re also much harder to work with, which is why no one’s pursued the tech until recently. They have to be aligned perfectly and metallic impurities, which naturally occur, must be completely removed.

IBM has met those challenges, however, not only creating a 10,000-transistor-strong processor based on carbon nanotubes, but doing it with standard semiconductor techniques. That means, should today’s chipmakers end up switching to the technology, they wouldn’t have to spend billions creating new tools and production facilities."

http://mashable.com/2012/10/28/ibm-carbon-nanotubes/

scoter man1
Senior Member