We discuss alternative approaches to the development of semiconductor products.
/ photo Unsplash
Last time about materials that can replace silicon in the production of transistors and expand their capabilities. Today we are discussing alternative approaches to the development of semiconductor products and what application they will find in data centers.
Piezoelectric transistors
Such devices have piezoelectric and piezoresistive components in their structure. The first converts electrical impulses into sound. The second one absorbs these sound waves, compresses and, accordingly, opens or closes the transistor. Samarium selenide is used as a piezoresistive substance () - depending on the pressure either as a semiconductor (with high resistance), or as a metal.
One of the first to introduce the concept of the piezoelectric transistor was IBM. The company's engineers are developing in this area . Also, their colleagues from the National Physical Laboratory of Great Britain, the University of Edinburgh and Auburn are working in this direction.
The piezoelectric transistor dissipates significantly less energy than silicon devices. Technology first in small gadgets from which it is difficult to remove heat - smartphones, radio devices, radars.
Also, piezoelectric transistors can be used in server processors for data centers. The technology will increase the energy efficiency of hardware and will reduce the cost of data center operators on IT infrastructure.
Tunnel transistors
One of the major challenges for semiconductor manufacturers is to design transistors that can be switched at low voltages. Tunnel transistors can solve it. These devices are controlled by .
Thus, when an external voltage is applied, the transistor switches faster, since the electrons are more likely to overcome the dielectric barrier. As a result, the device requires several times less voltage to operate.
Tunnel transistors are being developed by scientists from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology and the Japanese Tohoku University. They used two-layer graphene to a device that operates 10-100 times faster than silicon counterparts. According to the engineers, their technology to design processors that will be twenty times faster than current flagship models.
/ photo PD
At different times, prototypes of tunnel transistors were implemented using various materials - in addition to graphene, they were ΠΈ . However, the technology has not yet left the walls of laboratories, and there is no talk of large-scale production of devices based on it.
Spin transistors
Their work is based on the movement of electron spins. Spins move with the help of an external magnetic field, ordering them in one direction and forming a spin current. Devices operating with this current consume a hundred times less power than silicon transistors, and at a rate of a billion times per second.
The main advantage of spin devices their versatility. They combine the functions of an information storage device, a detector for reading it, and a switch for transferring it to other elements of the chip.
It is believed that the first concept of the spin transistor engineers Supriyo Datta and Biswajit Das in 1990. Since then, large IT companies have taken up developments in this area, . However, as engineers, spin transistors are not yet in consumer products.
Metal-air transistors
At its core, the principles of operation and design of the metal-air transistor resemble transistors . With some exceptions: the drain and source of the new transistor are metal electrodes. The shutter of the device is located under them and is insulated with an oxide film.
The drain and source are set at a distance of thirty nanometers from each other, which allows electrons to freely pass through the air space. The exchange of charged particles occurs due to .
Development of metal-air transistors a team from the University of Melbourne - RMIT. Engineers say the technology will "breathe new life" into Moore's Law and allow entire 3D networks to be built from transistors. Chipmakers will be able to stop endlessly reducing technical processes and start creating compact 3D architectures.
According to the developers, the operating frequency of the new type of transistors will exceed hundreds of gigahertz. The release of technology to the masses will expand the capabilities of computing systems and increase the performance of servers in data centers.
Now the team is looking for investors to continue their research and solve technological difficulties. The drain and source electrodes melt under the influence of an electric field - this reduces the performance of the transistor. The disadvantage is planned to be corrected in the next couple of years. After that, engineers will begin preparations for bringing the product to market.
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Source: habr.com