Silicon rival molybdenum disulfide promises small, low-energy chips
DEC 06, 2011
DOI: 10.1063/PT.5.025748
BBC : The first computer chip made of molybdenum disulfide has been tested by Andras Kis of the Laboratory of Nanoscale Electronics and Structures in Lausanne, Switzerland, and colleagues. Known as molybdenite, MoS 2 is a naturally occurring mineral that’s less reactive than silicon and can therefore be used in thinner layers to make smaller, more flexible, more energy-efficient chips. Unlike graphene, another material that can be used in flexible semiconductors, MoS 2 can amplify electronic signals at room temperature, whereas graphene has to be cooled to 70 kelvin to do so. Kis and his colleagues say that despite MoS 2‘s potential, it could be 20 years before it’s ready for commercial use. They plan to explore the possibility of making it more conductive in the meantime.
© 2011 American Institute of Physics
