Simple yet clever way to boost chip speeds
Thursday, June 18, 2015 - 11:00
in Physics & Chemistry
A computer chip has millions of transistors connected with an extensive network of copper wires. These wires are unimaginably short and thin compared to household wires but in each case the copper is wrapped within a protective sheath. For years a material called tantalum nitride has formed protective layer in chip wires. Now new experiments demonstrate that a different sheathing material, graphene, can help electrons scoot through tiny copper wires in chips more quickly.