Communications of the ACM
Graphene and Semiconductor Technology Together: Smaller, Cheaper, Better
Graphene is composed of carbon atoms forming a hexagon, resembling chicken wire. Graphene is only one atom thick.
Credit: The Research Council of Norway
Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) researchers are developing semiconductors grown on graphene. The researchers note that graphene is 200 times stronger than steel, conducts electricity 100 times faster than silicon, and is the best known material for conducting heat. It also is impenetrable, pliable, transparent, and becoming less costly to produce on a large scale.
They say their research could be used to make electronics and solar cells that are several hundreds times thinner than conventional models, which will make it possible to produce electronics that are both pliable and transparent, as well as being less expensive and more energy-efficient.
"Solar cell and [light-emitting diode] technology will be the initial areas to see new products using semiconductors grown on graphene," says NTNU professor Helge Weman.
The move to solar energy could receive a tremendous boost with the development of graphene-based semiconductor nanowires. "If semiconductor nanowires grown on graphene are used in solar cells, the same amount of sunlight can be converted to energy using one-tenth the volume of materials used in thin-film solar cells," Weman notes.
From Research Council of Norway
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