Will Graphene Be the Next Breakthrough Material for High Speed Microprocessors?

[ElliotSmith]

TL;DR Summary

Will silicon be replaced by a new material in order to open up new possibilities?

Will silicon be replaced by a new material in order to open up new possibilities in the world of microprocessors?

I believe I read that a graphene processor will allow processors to run at speeds of hundreds of GHz.

 

[jedishrfu]

Here's a brief discussion of the pros and cons of graphene in CPU architectures:

https://www.fluxmagazine.com/evolution-of-cpu-future-of-processors/
and this 2017 article suggesting its future is bright:

https://futurism.com/graphene-computers-work-1000-times-faster-use-far-less-power

 

[nsaspook]

For theoretical devices, yes, for mass produced production devices ?

There are 100's of Billions of dollars invested in the current silicon device infrastructure. I don't see that being replaced anytime soon.

 

[anorlunda]

This is not the first challenger. Gallium arsenide, and organics were among the past contenders for replacing silicon. Predictions of silicon's demise started in the 1970s and never stopped.

Here's the hurdle for challengers. It takes 6-10 years between a laboratory demonstration and commercial production. During those years, Moore's Law continues and the abilities of silicon grow to the point where silicon outperform the challenger. In other words, it is a moving target. Moore's Law won't begin to apply to a challenger until the challenger succeeds in replacing the silicon.

Predictions of the end of the road for Moore's Law have also been continuous since the 1970s, but it hasn't happened yet.

 

[nsaspook]

To displace silicon and germanium you need to able to produce high yield, LOW cost glue and controller devices of a much lower complexity than the top of the line computer chips. The equipment lines for these types are devices are very mature, paid off and are making good money from the 40 years of R&D it took to get us here riding silicon. The second and third tier semiconductor producers will be making silicon devices for the foreseeable future because they are always a few generations behind the latest technology. When the first line producers stop handing down used silicon process equipment for great prices and the little guys are forced to switch to a better current process is when silicon will be replaced.

 

[ElliotSmith]

Have there been any proof-of-concept chips made using material other than silicon?

 

[anorlunda]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germanium#Electronics
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gallium_arsenide#Electronics
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organic_semiconductor

 

[ElliotSmith]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germanium#Electronics
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gallium_arsenide#Electronics
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organic_semiconductor

How would these different materials improve microprocessor speed and efficiency?

 

[dlgoff]

How would these different materials improve microprocessor speed and efficiency?

Maybe this rather inexpensive book can answer this question.

High Speed Semiconductor Devices is the first textbook to focus on this topic. It gives a comprehensive introduction suitable for advanced students of electrical engineering and physics. It is practically oriented considering both physical limits and technical feasibility.