Communications of the ACM
Danish Chemists in Molecular Chip Breakthrough
A team led by Kasper Nrgaard, an associate professor at the University of Copenhagen, has made a transistor made from just one molecular monolayer work where it really counts: on a computer chip.
Credit: Jes Andersen/University of Copenhagen
Researchers at the University of Copenhagen and the Chinese Academy of Sciences have created a graphene-based transistor made from just one molecular monolayer that can work on a computer chip, a development they say could lead to smaller, faster, and more sustainable electronic devices.
The first advantage of the graphene-based chip will be to ease the testing of coming molecular electronic components, says Copenhagen professor Kasper Norgaard. "Graphene has some very interesting properties, which cannot be matched by any other material," Norgaard says. "What we have shown for the first time is that it’s possible to integrate a functional component on a graphene chip."
He notes that by using the chip, researchers can place their molecules with great precision, which makes testing the functionality of molecular wires much faster and easier and enables chemists to know whether they need to develop new functional molecules. "Because the graphene scaffold is closer to real chip design, it does make it easier to test components, but of course it’s also a step on the road to making a real integrated circuit using molecular components," Norgaard says.
From University of Copenhagen
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