Infineon announces 18 nm carbon nanotube transistor

Munich - Semiconductor company Infineon said it has built the world's smallest nanotube transistor with a channel length of just 18 nm - or about one fourth the size of today's smallest mass produced transistors.

Infineon said that it grew carbon nanotubes, each one measuring only 0.7 to 1.1 nm in diameter, in a controlled process to be able to create the nanotransitor. Compared to the size of a human hair, the nanotubes are about 100,000 times thinner.

According to the chip manufacturer, the characteristic properties of carbon nanotubes make them an "ideal candidate material" for several applications in microelectronics. The tubes carry electrical current virtually without friction on their surface thanks to "ballistic" electron transport. They also can be both conducting and semiconducting.

The nanotube transistor announced can deliver currents in excess of 15 µA at a supply voltage of only 0.4 V in contrast to 0.7 V commonly used in the industry at this time. Infineon believes that carbon nanotubes may become the standard material for building transistors in the future. Carbon offers about ten times the density of today's standard material silicon and will allow researchers to further scale the miniaturizing process, according to Infineon.

The company also said that carbon nanotubes may enable the industry to decrease supply voltages down to 0.35 V, which at this time is not expected to occur before the year of 2018, according to the International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors organization.

Latest in Manufacturing
ASML origins
ASML recalls its humble origins in a ‘leaky shed’ in Eindhoven, circa 1984 — it now makes the most cutting-edge chipmaking tools on the planet
TSMC
TSMC's Arizona chip fab production is sold out through late 2027
eFabless closure affects Tiny Tapeout 8, 9, and 10
Efabless shuts down, fate of Tiny Tapeout chip production projects unclear
Former President Donald Trump
Taiwan's Economy Ministry responds to Trump's threat of up to 100% tariffs on chips, including those from TSMC
GlobalFoundries
India set to launch its first semiconductor chip based on 28nm this year
TSMC fab
TSMC's Arizona Fab 21 is already making 4nm chips — yield and quality reportedly on par with Taiwan fabs
Latest in News
TSMC building
TSMC to reportedly speed up fab building in the US, third fab to begin construction this year
Intel
Ex-Intel CEO Gelsinger warns TSMC's $165B investment will not restore U.S. semiconductor leadership
ReFS in Windows 11 preview build installer
New Windows file system option supports up to 35 petabyte volumes — ReFS appears in latest Insider build
New Windows 11 Game Bar Update
Microsoft updates the Windows Game Bar to be more user friendly with PC Handhelds
Raspberry Pi
Raspberry Pi Pico fightstick randomly mashes buttons for fighting game combos
The world's first color e-paper display over 30-inches
Mass production of 'world's first' color e-paper display over 30-inches begins