Historical evolution and current situation of carbon nanotube transistors
Recently, a team led by Academician Peng Lianmao and Professor Zhang Zhiyong of Peking University has made significant progress in the field of 90-nanometer carbon nanotube transistors. This achievement indicates that highly integrated carbon nanotube transistors not only show great potential at 90 nanometer and higher technology nodes, but also provide substantial proof of the application prospects of carbon-based semiconductors. What is even more remarkable is that this research not only demonstrates the profound insights of carbon nanotubes in the research of all-carbon-based integrated circuits, but has also been reported by the magazine "Nature Electronics", heralding the arrival of a new technological era.
Looking back at history, in 2005, Intel expressed doubts in a paper about the possibility of carbon nanotubes surpassing silicon-based N-type transistors. However, as time goes by, Moore's Law gradually expires, and finding substitutes for silicon-based materials has become an important direction for the development of the information industry. Although carbon nanotubes are viewed as potential alternatives, many challenges remain in making transistors during traditional doping processes.
In 2007, Academician Peng Lianmao's team proposed a revolutionary non-doping method to prepare carbon nanotube CMOS devices and successfully produced carbon nanotube transistors with performance exceeding that of silicon-based transistors of the same size. Ten years later, in 2017, the team published research on top-gate carbon nanotube field-effect transistors at the 5-nanometer technology node in Science, demonstrating the significant advantages of the device in terms of intrinsic performance and comprehensive power consumption indicators.
Application prospects of carbon-based materials in the market
Market research organization IDTechEx pointed out that as the size of silicon-based devices shrinks close to physical limits, the flexible processing of silicon materials is gradually encountering bottlenecks. At the same time, breakthroughs in carbon-based materials provide new options for flexible electronics. In particular, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and graphene are recognized as ideal materials in the field of flexible electronics due to their excellent electrical properties, light transmittance, and ductility.
Broad prospects for the advanced materials market
Advanced materials is a field that covers a variety of materials, such as nanotubes, nanofibers, graphene, other two-dimensional materials, quantum dots, metamaterials, aerogels, biomaterials, etc. The development of materials informatics and new processing methods such as 3D printing and additive manufacturing provide strong impetus for the advancement of materials science. Key properties of these materials include electromagnetic interference shielding, thermal management, low (or negative) carbon footprint, and optoelectronic properties, which will drive the evolution of semiconductor and advanced packaging manufacturing processes. According to IDTechEx’s forecast, these advanced materials will play an important role in the following emerging markets:
Electric vehicles: The market for electric vehicles on land, sea and air is expected to reach $2.3 trillion by 2041.
Wearable devices: The market size is expected to reach US$138 billion by 2025.
Autonomous vehicles (ADAS): It is expected that by 2042, 25% of passenger vehicle miles will be completed by autonomous vehicles.
Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage (CCUS): By 2040, global carbon capture capacity is expected to reach 1,265 million tons.
5G and Industry 4.0: The 5G market is expected to reach $1 trillion by 2032.
in conclusion:
The research and development of carbon nanotube transistors not only represents a major breakthrough in semiconductor technology, but also heralds the broad development prospects of materials science in the future. As more research and application cases emerge, we can expect that the application of carbon-based materials in multiple fields will become a key factor in promoting technological innovation and industrial change.