In the next decade or so, the circuits etched on silicon-based computer chips are expected to shrink as small as they can physically become, prompting a search for alternative materials to take their place.
Some researchers are putting high hopes on carbon nanotubes, and on Monday a group of researchers at Stanford successfully demonstrated a simple microelectronic circuit composed of 44 transistors fabricated entirely from the threadlike fibers.
The development, which was presented both as a paper and a working demonstration at a technical conference here, is the most striking evidence yet that carbon nanotubes may prove to be the material of the future when today’s silicon-based chips reach their fundamental physical limits.
via New York Times
February 20, 2013
