Molybdenite transistor (left) Molybdenite IC with multiple transistors (right) (Via EPFL)
Will element14 have to change its name to element42+(2)16?
Researchers at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) has shown that Molybdenite's (MoS2) miniaturization electrical properties outstrip silicon and rivals graphene. The team stated that they are able to make a transistor that is only 3-atoms thick. Silicon at that scale has the tendency to develop surface oxidization, destroying its electrical properties. (The smallest silicon transistor is 2nm thick.)
EPFL Laboratory of Nanoscale Electronics and Structures (LANES) director Andras Kis explained the latest development, "We have built an initial prototype, putting from two to six serial transistors in place, and shown that basic binary logic operations were possible, which proves that we can make a larger chip." This comes off the cusp of creating one MoS2 transistor back in February, 2011.
Molybdenite transistor render with amplify graph (via EPFL and ACS NANO)
Kis stated about the further property advantages, "They can be turned on and off much more quickly, and can be put into a more complete standby mode." MoS2 is an efficient material, that also has the ability to amplify electrical signals exactly like silicon. A 4x amplification is possible with incoming signals. Kis again, "With graphene, for example, this amplitude is about 1. Below this threshold, the output voltage would not be sufficient to feed a second, similar chip."
MoS2 is flexible to the point of folding, use in Flextronics in unavoidable. Electron mobility of MoS2 is up to 800 cm2/Vs. Which is only slightly less than that of silicon, but by far less than the 120,000 cm2/Vs of graphene. However, MoS2 has a bandgap great enough for switching operations at 1.8 eV, unlike graphene's 0.25 eV. Which means MoS2 based transistors can turn off more completely than graphene.
MoS2 is a naturally-occurring mineral that is quite abundant. The demand for smaller electronics will eventually push companies to use Molybdenite. It is only a matter of time.
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