New technique creates single-atom-thick electronic circuits

Ars Technica : An innovative process to create basic electronic circuits from nanomaterials has been devised by a team of researchers at Cornell University led by Mark Levendorf. “Patterned regrowth” involves creating a layer of graphene, removing sections of the material, and then applying another layer, of either boron nitrate (BN) or doped graphene. The second layer fills in the areas where material was removed and acts as an insulator, effectively turning the original layer of graphene, which is a conductive material, into a pattern of wires. The researchers view the resulting circuit as the first step toward one-atom-thick integrated circuits that could be incorporated into flexible and transparent materials. Achieving that goal will entail finding a suitable semiconductor.