Graphene Technology Transforming the Chip Industry

During the photoexplosion, electrons in graphene release "plasmons" when their motion is restricted by being faster than light, a phenomenon that could pave the way for the development of light-based circuits for ultra-thin computer devices. Base. As we all know, the raw material of traditional chips is mainly silicon. However, graphene is much easier to use than silicon. Chips made of silicon have a single-layer structure, and they are connected by wires. When such a chip transmits data with a large data flow and a long distance, it often consumes more resources and often jams. Graphene is different. It is a hexagonal, planar film in a honeycomb crystal format and has excellent conductivity. Therefore, it is possible to transmit data quickly and increase the chip rate. In addition, the main frequency of a silicon-based material chip is directly proportional to the heat generation, and the main frequency is one of the important measures of chip performance. Therefore, many chip manufacturers will take some frequency reduction measures in order to control the heating problem. At present, the highest frequency of silicon chips is 8.4GHz in a liquid nitrogen environment, the main frequency of PC processors is 3-4GHz, and the main frequency of mobile processors is about 2GHz. If the graphene material is used in chip manufacturing, the effect will be much better. Compared with silicon-based materials, the carrier mobility of graphene can reach more than 10 times that of silicon at room temperature, and 100 times in a laboratory environment, and the saturation speed can reach 5 times that of silicon. Due to the good thermal conductivity of graphene, theoretically, the main frequency of the chip can reach 300GHz, and the power consumption is lower than that of silicon-based chips.see more:500ah lithium battery For the research on the role of graphene technology in chips, at least two points can be determined at present. First, graphene raw materials have better characteristics than silicon-based materials, whether it is speed, power consumption or scalable performance. Graphene technology can be pushed to the technology node of 8nm or even 5nm, which happens to be the goal of digital circuits after 2020. Second, the application of graphene to chips is feasible. In the laboratory, many researchers have developed this technology, and it is just around the corner to put it into practice.

2. Graphene technology is favored by all parties, or it may change the status quo of the chip industry

Due to the many advantages of graphene technology, many technology companies have begun to conduct research and development on chip applications. IBM has always been a giant in the hardware field. However, in recent years, the situation of the entire hardware industry has declined, and innovation has become the focus. Therefore, IBM is also constantly trying new technologies in order to reverse the unfavorable situation brought about by the decline of the hardware industry, and the focus of innovation lies in graphene technology. IBM's main plan is to increase chip performance and reduce its size, thereby increasing chip efficiency. For graphene technology that can just meet these requirements, IBM invested 3 billion US dollars to try to innovate the chip and realize the recovery of the hardware business. Richard Doherty, research director of TheEnvisioneeringGroup, believes that many of the electricity flowing through silicon chips are converted into heat, so it is difficult for the speed of silicon chips to rise. IBM said that the electron migration speed in graphene materials is 10 times that of silicon materials. In the future, they will conduct more research in this field. In addition, Huawei has also invested in graphene in the UK. As one of the few domestic mobile phone manufacturers that has its own chips, graphene technology will surely become its key research and development object. In this regard, Chen Lifang, senior vice president of Huawei, said: "Our cooperation in the field of graphene will provide crucial basic support for the future development of the information and communication industry and the construction of a better fully connected world." In my country, graphene technology has also received attention. A few months ago, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the Ministry of Science and Technology issued "Several Opinions on Accelerating the Innovation and Development of the Graphene Industry", which aims to guide the innovation of the graphene industry, cultivate the further growth of the graphene industry, and ultimately drive the innovation of the material industry .see more:12v 300ah lithium ion battery The reason why my country attaches so much importance to graphene technology is that its extremely high carrier velocity, limited scattering, and excellent proportional reduction characteristics make it the material of choice for electronic devices and integrated circuits. In addition to the chip industry, graphene technology can also be applied in important fields such as optical fiber communication, sensor manufacturing, and 5G communication. However, graphene technology also has some limitations. First, the cost of graphene is extremely high. The highest price of graphene has reached 5,000 yuan/gram, known as "black gold" in the industry. Therefore, ordinary companies cannot carry out R&D in terms of funds, which is also an important reason why the players of graphene technology are basically giants such as Samsung, IBM, and Intel. Second, graphene technology has limitations. The growth of graphene has strict control conditions, and it must be positioned on an insulating substrate to grow semiconductor graphene with the required diameter. But tightly controlled conditions for graphene growth are currently out of reach. Third, large-scale application cannot be realized. Due to the extremely high cost and technical limitations, the production of graphene is still in the experimental research stage and has not been mass-produced for commercial use. In comparison, silicon-based materials still have advantages in terms of cost and stability. In fact, combining the two is also a good choice. Previously, Columbia University had developed a graphene-silicon optoelectronic hybrid chip. Philip Kim, a professor of applied physics, believes that the combination of these two materials has ultrafast nonlinear optical modulation performance, which will open new doors in the fields of chips, integrated circuits, and high-speed optical communications. With the development of the mobile terminal, the PC terminal gradually declined. If faster chips can be developed, faster computing power will become a reality. This can not only promote the progress of the chip industry, but also promote the development of artificial intelligence and cognitive computing. Although there are still shortcomings in graphene technology, in the future, this technology may bring a revolutionary change to chips and related industries.