Graphene is known for its extraordinary strength, conductivity and flexibility, but it lacked the band gap, the most important property for semiconductors. The band gap allows the material to open and close under the influence of an electric field; This is how transistors and silicon electronics work.

The researchers solved this problem by growing graphene on silicon carbide sheets using special furnaces and then doping it with electron-donating atoms into the system.

The result is a graphene semiconductor with 10 times the mobility of silicon; This means that electrons move with little resistance and can reach higher speeds. The material also has unique quantum mechanical properties that enable new applications in quantum computing and nanoelectronics.

An important discovery

The discovery, published in the journal Nature, is a major milestone in the field of graphene electronics, which has been hampered for decades by the lack of a suitable band gap. The researchers believe their technology is compatible with traditional microelectronics processing methods and could eventually replace silicon as the dominant material in electronics.

Walter de Heer, Regents Professor of Physics at the Georgia Institute of Technology and leader of the research team, compared the achievement to the Wright Brothers’ moment.

Our motivation to make graphene electronics has been around for a long time, and everything else was just a matter of its implementation. We had to learn how to use the material, how to make it better, and finally how to measure properties. It took a very, very long time. We now have an extremely strong graphene semiconductor that has 10 times the mobility of silicon and also has unique properties not found in silicon.

The researchers hope that their work will inspire new innovations and research in the field of graphene electronics and open the door to a new era of electronics that can overcome the limitations of silicon.