Graphene is a flat two dimensional single layer of super-packed carbon atoms that can be wrapped up into 0D fullerenes, rolled into 1D nanotubes or stacked into 3D graphite. Yeah I know what you're thinking, “but how does this make my CPU faster?”
Well, researchers at MIT were able to use a single transistor on a graphene chip that was used as a frequency multiplier to reach up to 1 terahertz speeds. A frequency multiplier is what gives your CPU it’s rated speed. For example, a system with an external clock of 133 MHz and a 10x clock multiplier will have an internal CPU clock of 1.33 GHz. While we can only effectively attain speeds of up to 4 to 5 gigahertz with silicon chips, graphene chips are more efficient and can obtain much higher frequencies in the 500 to 1000Ghz range. The speeds are achieved from the ease at which electrons move through the Graphene substance. In fact, electrons have up to 100 times the mobility of silicon. This one atom thick, pure carbon, sheet is similar to Buckyballs or Carbon Nanotubes, except not rolled into tubes or balls. Along with the electrical properties, it is could that Graphene is the strongest substance ever discovered. Is new armor on the horizon too?
"Researchers have been trying to find uses for this material since its discovery in 2004, I believe this application will have tremendous implications in high-frequency communications and electronics “, said Tomas Palacios, an assistant professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering at MIT. Making the Graphene material is difficult but the research team at MIT has found a way of making entire wafers which could be readily available for electronics in the near future.
Eavesdropper
