A magical material that can replace silicon

From the original desktop computers to pocket supercomputers (we call them smart phones), the steady development of electronic computing has proven the outstanding value of silicon, and it has been in development for more than 70 years
.

If we properly formulate silicon and shape it into a transistor, it can be used as a conductor or an insulator, depending on the charge you have to pass.
This is the basis of the entire digital revolution, including the Internet and everything from TikTok to the Internet All are based on its realization
.

But the disadvantages of silicon are becoming prominent
.

The computing power of microchips reliably doubles every two years.

Researchers at the forefront of physics, chemistry, and engineering are experimenting with exotic substances used in microchips
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They include graphene, black phosphorus, transition metal dihalides and boron nitride nanosheets

Some results of this study can already be found in devices sold today, but it is expected that more will appear in the next ten years, bringing new features to our gadgets
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These will include novel features, such as infrared night vision modes in smartphones, and powerful features, such as microchips that are 10 times faster and more power efficient

Does it sound like science fiction? In fact, some of them are
.

For various reasons, many potential applications of these two-dimensional materials will not be realized in the short term, including the difficulty of using them with existing electronic devices and integrating them into them, or the difficulty of manufacturing billions of devices each year

In order to seek help, researchers must classify all these potential materials
.

A small army is working hard.

The grandfather of all two-dimensional materials is graphene
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If we can shrink ourselves like a magic school bus and hover over its surface, graphene will look like a hexagonal plane made of carbon atoms

Its existence was theorized in the 1940s, but it wasn't until 2004 that researchers properly synthesized and characterized it
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(It won them the Nobel Prize

Graphene is very strong and has a talent for heat conduction, so it has found applications to keep smartphones and their batteries cool and extend the life of sports equipment
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Because its characteristics are more similar to other conductors such as gold or copper, it is unlikely to replace silicon

Cardea Bio, a start-up company based in San Diego, has already started selling this combination system
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Its new sensor "biogating transistor" attaches biologically active molecules (such as certain antibodies) to a graphene sheet, which in turn is attached to a silicon chip
.
Graphene is not only a good conductor, but also very sensitive to any contact that might interfere with its conductivity
.

Cardea Bio CEO Michael Heltzen said: "The beauty of biology is that it is technology and it has organizational complexity
.
" He added that graphene can transform the simulated world of biology into human engineers and human constructions.
The system can manipulate and collect data in the digital world
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Mr.
Heltzen said that Cardea Bio's system is currently being sold in equipment used by researchers.
This chip can one day scan specific organic molecules in liquids, that is, almost all organic substances of different sizes can enter the environment
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The company announced that as part of a Georgia Institute of Technology project funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, it is manufacturing a sensor that can detect coronavirus particles in the air stream
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Soon after someone exhales the virus particles, such devices in the building can detect SARS-CoV-2
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If feasible, it may eventually lead to a system that can be reprogrammed to detect other pathogens
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Deji Akinwande, a professor of two-dimensional materials at the University of Texas at Austin, said that other upcoming graphene-silicon team collaborations include ultra-thin, ultra-sensitive cameras
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This is because graphene can make the light sensor a hundred times more sensitive to light than a sensor made of silicon
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In addition, because graphene-based materials can "see" in a wider electromagnetic spectrum, it can make possible miniature, inexpensive, high-resolution infrared cameras that can be installed in smartphones
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This technology is already in the prototype stage, allowing our smartphone cameras to see the heat generated by objects
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In addition, Dr.
Akinwande and colleagues predict that by the middle of this century, the processing of light by two-dimensional materials may allow us to make more meaningful upgrades to our equipment
.
Light will be a faster and more effective way of communication between microchips and other components inside computers, and between them, thus accelerating the speed at which electrons are replaced by photons inside microchips and communication networks
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Dr.
Akinwande said that another area where two-dimensional materials may have a huge impact is stacking microchips, such as high-rise buildings
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Silicon stacks are already common in flash memory and mobile device chips, and the space in these devices and mobile device chips is very precious, such as inside the Apple Watch
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Since two-dimensional materials have only one atom or two thicknesses, they can be grown on silicon microchips, or they can be grown separately and placed carefully
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Deep Jariwala, a professor of engineering at the University of Pennsylvania who specializes in nanotechnology, said that this has two advantages over a solution that only stacks silicon layers
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The first is that many chips can be stacked without increasing the height of the chips
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The second reason is that some two-dimensional materials (especially graphene) have a very good heat dissipation effect.
Engineers can use them to make high-rise slabs that run faster than traditional microchips without burning themselves
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At the University of Manchester, researchers created an ultra-clean device for stacking two-dimensional materials together
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Since these materials are easily damaged by air, all these operations must be performed in a vacuum chamber
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Translating this cutting-edge manufacturing technology into what may happen in the world's largest microchip factory (the so-called "fab" operated by companies such as TSMC, Samsung, and GlobalFoundries) is to bring two-dimensional materials into reality.
Crucially, Peter Barrett, a venture capitalist at Playground Global, said that he invests in companies engaged in the research of next-generation microchips and their materials
.

Mr.
Peter Barrett said: "The success of silicon lies in its manufacturability
.
"

Perhaps, a few years or decades from now, once you have a sufficient understanding of some novel 2-D materials, and spend billions of dollars to launch these materials on the scale of the global semiconductor industry, one of them One or more may replace silicon.
Dr.
Jariwala said that it plays an important role in some of the main applications inside our computers
.

He added that one such two-dimensional material has shown promise because it is different from graphene.
It is a good semiconductor.
This two-dimensional material is molybdenum disulfide
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It has been used to create flexible electronic devices and simple microprocessors
.
Moreover, its applicability as a potential silicon substitute is not alone: ​​it is part of a large family of hundreds (or even thousands) of promising materials
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Like many such substances, one of the challenges it faces is that it can be difficult to manufacture and handle them
.

Mr.
Peter Barrett said that at the same time, the new applications of existing silicon chips, such as quantum computing and "neuromorphic" computing that mimics the human brain, will push engineers to push silicon to the absolute physical limit, and in the process will help the future.
Pave the way for the development of the country
.

From shrinking electronic products and cracked codes to cloud computing and artificial intelligence, the demand for our hardware is growing faster than the current technology
.
He added that enough demand plus enough progress in the laboratory may eventually justify the huge investment we paid to bring 2D materials to center stage
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