Home Technology News “Fundamental Discovery” Used To Turn Nanotube Into Tiny Transistor – 25,000x Smaller Than Width of a Human Hair TOPICS:Electrical EngineeringNanotechnologyNanotubesPopularQueensland University of TechnologySemiconductors By Queensland University of Technology December 25, 2021 Tiny Transistors A designer view of a single-wall carbon nanotube intramolecular junction with metallic portions on left and right ends and a semiconductor ultrashort ~3,0nm channel in between. Credit: National University of Science and Technology, Moscow An international team of researchers has used a unique tool inserted into an electron microscope to create a transistor that’s 25,000 times smaller than the width of a human hair. The research, published in the journal Science, involves researchers from Japan, China, Russia, and Australia who have worked on the project that began five years ago. QUT Center for Materials Science co-director Professor Dmitri Golberg, who led the research project, said the result was a “very interesting fundamental discovery” which could lead a way for the future development of tiny transistors for future generations of advanced computing devices. Dmitri Golberg Professor Dmitri Golberg led a team that used a unique tool inserted into an electron microscope to create a transistor that’s 25,000 smaller than the width of a human hair. Credit: QUT “In this work, we have shown it is possible to control the electronic properties of an individual carbon nanotube,” Professor Golberg said. The researchers created the tiny transistor by simultaneously applying a force and low voltage which heated a carbon nanotube made up of a few layers until outer tube shells separate, leaving just a single-layer nanotube. The heat and strain then changed the “chilarity” of the nanotube, meaning the pattern in which the carbon atoms joined together to form the single-atomic layer of the nanotube wall was rearranged. The result of the new structure connecting the carbon atoms was that the nanotube was transformed into a transistor. Professor Golberg’s team members from the National University of Science and Technology in Moscow created a theory explaining the changes in the atomic structure and properties observed in the transistor. Lead author Dr. Dai-Ming Tang, from the International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics in Japan, said the research had demonstrated the ability to manipulate the molecular properties of the nanotube to fabricate nanoscale electrical devices. Dr. Tang began working on the project five years ago when Professor Golberg headed up the research group at this center. “Semiconducting carbon nanotubes are promising for fabricating energy-efficient nanotransistors to build beyond-silicon microprocessors,” Dr. Tang said. “However, it remains a great challenge to control the chirality of individual carbon nanotubes, which uniquely determines the atomic geometry and electronic structure. “In this work, we designed and fabricated carbon nanotube intramolecular transistors by altering the local chirality of a metallic nanotube segment by heating and mechanical strain.” Professor Golberg said the research in demonstrating the fundamental science in creating the tiny transistor was a promising step towards building beyond-silicon microprocessors. Transistors, which are used to switch and amplify electronic signals, are often called the “building blocks” of all electronic devices, including computers. For example, Apple says the chip which powers the future iPhones contains 15 billion transistors. The computer industry has been focused on developing smaller and smaller transistors for decades, but faces the limitations of silicon. In recent years, researchers have made significant steps in developing nanotransistors, which are so small that millions of them could fit onto the head of a pin. “Miniaturization of transistors down to nanometer scale is a great challenge of the modern semiconducting industry and nanotechnology,” Professor Golberg said. “The present discovery, although not practical for a mass-production of tiny transistors, shows a novel fabrication principle and opens up a new horizon of using thermomechanical treatments of nanotubes for obtaining the smallest transistors with desired characteristics.” Reference: “Semiconductor nanochannels in metallic carbon nanotubes by thermomechanical chirality alteration” by Dai-Ming Tang, Sergey V. Erohin, Dmitry G. Kvashnin, Victor A. Demin, Ovidiu Cretu, Song Jiang, Lili Zhang, Peng-Xiang Hou, Guohai Chen, Don N. Futaba, Yongjia Zheng, Rong Xiang, Xin Zhou, Feng-Chun Hsia, Naoyuki Kawamoto, Masanori Mitome, Yoshihiro Nemoto, Fumihiko Uesugi, Masaki Takeguchi, Shigeo Maruyama, Hui-Ming Cheng, Yoshio Bando, Chang Liu, Pavel B. Sorokin and Dmitri Golberg, 23 December 2021, Science. DOI: 10.1126/science.abi8884 We recommend Carbon Nanotubes Could Help Electronics Withstand Outer Space’s Damaging Cosmic Radiation Mike O'Neill, SciTechDaily, 2021 Dive Deep Into Hidden World of Quantum States to Find Silicon’s Successor in Race Against Moore’s Law Mike ONeill, SciTechDaily, 2020 “Magic Wand” Reveals a Previously Invisible Colorful Nano-World Mike ONeill, SciTechDaily, 2021 Research Team Unlocks Secret Path to a Bright Quantum Future Mike ONeill, SciTechDaily, 2021 Future of High Efficiency Perovskite Solar Cells Shines a Little Brighter Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST), SciTechDaily, 2021 Semiconductor nanochannels in metallic carbon nanotubes by thermomechanical chirality alteration Dai-Ming Tang et al., Science, 2021 Tiny Transistor Gets a Good Sorting Out Robert F. Service, Science, 2008 High density three dimensional integration of organic transistors Journal of Semiconductors, 2019 Acoustic-assisted assembly of an individual monochromatic ultralong carbon nanotube for high on-current transistors Zhenxing Zhu et al., Sci Adv, 2016 CARBON NANOTUBES IN MICROELECTRONIC APPLICATIONS World Scientific Book Powered by SHARE TWEET PIN SHARE Previous post Next post More on SciTechDaily Microprocessor Built From Carbon Nanotube Field-Effect Transistors Technology Advanced Microprocessor Built Out of Carbon Nanotubes 3D Processor Concept Technology Carbon Nanotube Transistor Advance Paves the Way for 3D Microprocessors Smart Shirt With Carbon Nanotube Thread Technology “Smart” Shirt Uses Flexible Carbon Nanotube Fibers To Keep Tabs on the Heart Technology Engineers Build a Carbon Nanotube Computer carbon nanotube transistors (CNTs) arranged in an integrated logic circuit Technology Designing Circuits Containing CNTs for Highly Energy-Efficient Computing Science Examining the Fundamentals of Desirable Nanotubes closed-edge graphene nanoribbons Science “Closed-Edge Graphene Nanoribbons” MIT Scientists Create Predictable Patterns from Unpredictable Carbon Nanotubes Science Creating Predictable Patterns from Unpredictable Carbon Nanotubes Around The Web Sponsored by Revcontent Top 30 Most Beautiful Women in the World Top 30 Most Beautiful Women in the World Inspiredot The Hottest Swimsuit Trends We've Seen over the Years The Hottest Swimsuit Trends We've Seen over the Years Inspiredot What Are Your Expectations for Your Next Relationship? What Are Your Expectations for Your Next Relationship? Inspiredot In a Mood for Something Sad? Check out This List of Sad Movies In a Mood for Something Sad? Check out This List of Sad Movies Inspiredot Top Companies That Give Free Money Top Companies That Give Free Money Inspiredot How Couple Therapists Know a Relationship Won't Last Long How Couple Therapists Know a Relationship Won't Last Long Inspiredot 2 Comments on "“Fundamental Discovery” Used To Turn Nanotube Into Tiny Transistor – 25,000x Smaller Than Width of a Human Hair" Matthew Coy Barncord | December 26, 2021 at 6:13 am | Reply “chilarity”! lol Hella chill semiconductors, dude Larry | December 27, 2021 at 9:31 am | Reply Chilarity or chirality? C hilarity. Proofread much? Leave a comment Email address is optional. If provided, your email will not be published or shared. Comment Name Email Confirm you are NOT a spammer Subscribe SciTechDaily: Home of the best science and technology news since 1998. 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