Processors and microcircuits producers constantly decrease the sizes of transistors with passage to new technological standards, but in some stage , the semiconductor industry use other materials instead of silicon, when some materials reach its physical limit.
Scientists consider that approximately to 2025 , silicon can be removed and grafen will take its place ( layer of carbon with one atom thickness) . Silicic transistors lose stability with sizes less than 10 nm, and grafen transistors can preserve stability properties, and even improve them, with sizes less than 1 nm.
For researchers it is already possible to place on one microcircuit , hundreds of grafen transistors, but the practical introduction of this technology will take more than one year. Electrons penetrate grafen and create a small quantity of heat. Possessing high thermal conductivity, grafen is capable to rapidly remove heat. Theoretically, these and other factors must allow grafen transistors to work at frequencies in several terahertz.
But here we note that grafen is not ready to replace silicic transistors in microprocessors, since it does not possess the ability to change the state of conductivity to the state of low conductivity, this is necessary to up-to-date transistors for work.
IBM and Intel are already interested in developments of this region. Intel finances the activity of scientists from technological university Georgia, and in the case of successful development it plans to use grafen transistors in its future products.