04.13.17
Researchers from the Graphene Flagship have demonstrated the first fully functional microprocessor based on a layered material. The processor chip consists of 115 integrated transistors and is a first step toward ultra-thin, flexible logic devices.
The Graphene Flagship is developing novel technologies based on graphene and related materials (GRMs) such as transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), semiconductor materials that can be separated into ultra-thin sheets just a few atoms thick. Due to their thin, flexible nature and their excellent electrical properties at compact dimensions, GRMs are promising for compact and flexible electronic devices.
Researchers from the Graphene Flagship, working at the TU Vienna in Austria, have designed and fabricated the first microprocessors based on GRMs. Using transistors made from the TMD molybdenum disulphide (MoS2), the microprocessors are capable of 1-bit logic operations and the design is scalable to multi-bit operations. With the drive towards smart objects and the Internet of Things, the microprocessors hold promise for integrating computational power into everyday objects and surfaces.
Microprocessors are a central part of modern electronics, from watches to smartphones and supercomputers. Based on transistors, logic operations are performed through a series of input and output cycles, according to instructions stored in a memory unit. Modern microprocessors are based almost exclusively on silicon, but this technology cannot be made flexible.
The ultra-thin MoS2 transistors are inherently flexible and compact, so this result could be directly translated into fully flexible electronic devices, for example, wearable phones or computers, or for wider use in the Internet of Things.
“In general, being a flexible material there are new opportunities for novel applications. One could combine these processor circuits with light emitters that could also be made with MoS2 to make flexible displays and e-paper, or integrate them for logic circuits in smart sensors,” said Thomas Mueller, who led the work at TU Vienna
“Our goal is to realize significantly larger circuits that can do much more in terms of useful operations. We want to make a full 8-bit design – or even more bits – on a single chip with smaller feature sizes,” said Mueller.
Silicon-based computing is a mature technology, and it is unlikely that GRMs will overtake silicon in the near future. However, achievements such as this demonstrate the potential for GRMs to enable new applications.
“This simple circuit is a first conceptual step towards the implementation of simple logic in flexible devices for everyday use, such as food packaging or textiles,” said Andrea Ferrari from the University of Cambridge, UK, the science and technology officer of the Graphene Flagship, and chair of its Management Panel. “The goal is not to compete head on with the established silicon technology, but to fill those complementary gaps not yet enabled by it.”
The Graphene Flagship is developing novel technologies based on graphene and related materials (GRMs) such as transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), semiconductor materials that can be separated into ultra-thin sheets just a few atoms thick. Due to their thin, flexible nature and their excellent electrical properties at compact dimensions, GRMs are promising for compact and flexible electronic devices.
Researchers from the Graphene Flagship, working at the TU Vienna in Austria, have designed and fabricated the first microprocessors based on GRMs. Using transistors made from the TMD molybdenum disulphide (MoS2), the microprocessors are capable of 1-bit logic operations and the design is scalable to multi-bit operations. With the drive towards smart objects and the Internet of Things, the microprocessors hold promise for integrating computational power into everyday objects and surfaces.
Microprocessors are a central part of modern electronics, from watches to smartphones and supercomputers. Based on transistors, logic operations are performed through a series of input and output cycles, according to instructions stored in a memory unit. Modern microprocessors are based almost exclusively on silicon, but this technology cannot be made flexible.
The ultra-thin MoS2 transistors are inherently flexible and compact, so this result could be directly translated into fully flexible electronic devices, for example, wearable phones or computers, or for wider use in the Internet of Things.
“In general, being a flexible material there are new opportunities for novel applications. One could combine these processor circuits with light emitters that could also be made with MoS2 to make flexible displays and e-paper, or integrate them for logic circuits in smart sensors,” said Thomas Mueller, who led the work at TU Vienna
“Our goal is to realize significantly larger circuits that can do much more in terms of useful operations. We want to make a full 8-bit design – or even more bits – on a single chip with smaller feature sizes,” said Mueller.
Silicon-based computing is a mature technology, and it is unlikely that GRMs will overtake silicon in the near future. However, achievements such as this demonstrate the potential for GRMs to enable new applications.
“This simple circuit is a first conceptual step towards the implementation of simple logic in flexible devices for everyday use, such as food packaging or textiles,” said Andrea Ferrari from the University of Cambridge, UK, the science and technology officer of the Graphene Flagship, and chair of its Management Panel. “The goal is not to compete head on with the established silicon technology, but to fill those complementary gaps not yet enabled by it.”
