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"Overcoming" Moore's Law: how to replace traditional planar transistors


/ photo by Taylor Vick Unsplash

Last time we talked 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 in their structure piezoelectric and piezoresistive components. The first converts electrical impulses into sound. The second one absorbs these sound waves, shrinks and, accordingly, opens or closes the transistor. Samarium selenide is used as a piezoresistive substance ( slide 14 ) - depending on pressure, it behaves either as a semiconductor (with high resistance) or as a metal.

One of the first concept of the piezoelectric transistor presented in IBM. Engineers of the company have been engaged in development in this area since 2012 . Also in this direction are their colleagues from the National Physical Laboratory of the United Kingdom, the University of Edinburgh and Auburn.
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A piezoelectric transistor dissipates significantly less energy than silicon devices. First of all, the technology is planned to be used in small gadgets that are difficult to divert heat from — smartphones, radio equipment, and radars.

Also, piezoelectric transistors can be used in server processors for data centers. The technology will increase the energy efficiency of the hardware and reduce the costs of data center operators for IT infrastructure.

Tunnel transistors


One of the main tasks of manufacturers of semiconductor devices is the design of transistors, which can be switched by low voltages. Tunnel transistors are capable of solving it. Such devices are controlled by a quantum tunnel effect .

Thus, when an external voltage is applied, the switching of the transistor is faster, since electrons are more likely to overcome the dielectric barrier. As a result, the device requires several times less voltage to operate.

The development of tunneling transistors involved scientists from MIPT and the Japanese University of Tohoku. They used double-layer graphene to create a device that works 10–100 times faster than silicon analogues. According to the engineers, their technology will allow to design processors that will be twenty times more productive than modern flagship models.


/ photo PxHere PD

At different times, prototypes of tunneling transistors were implemented using various materials — in addition to graphene, they were nanotubes and silicon . However, the technology has not yet left the walls of the 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. The spins move with the help of an external magnetic field, ordering them in one direction and forming a spin current. Devices that operate with such a current, consume a hundred times less energy than silicon transistors, and can switch at a speed of a billion times per second.

The main advantage of spin devices is their multifunctionality. They combine the functions of the information storage device, the detector for its reading and the switch for its transfer to other elements of the chip.

It is believed that Supriyo Datta and Biswajit Das, engineers in 1990, were the first to introduce the concept of a spin transistor. Since then, major IT companies, such as Intel , have been developing in this area. However, as engineers admit , spin transistors will not appear in consumer products soon.

Metal-air transistors


At its core, the principles of operation and the design of the metal-air transistor resembles MOSFET transistors. With some exceptions: the drain and source of the new transistor are metal electrodes. The shutter device is located under them and insulated with an oxide film.

The drain and source are set apart at a distance of thirty nanometers, which allows electrons to freely pass through the airspace. The exchange of charged particles occurs due to autoelectronic emission .

The development of metal-air transistors involved a team from the University of Melbourne - RMIT. Engineers say that the technology will “breathe new life” into Moore's law and will allow building entire 3D networks of transistors. Chip manufacturers will be able to stop working on the infinite reduction of technical processes and will be engaged in the formation of compact 3D-architectures.

According to developers, the operating frequency of transistors of the new type will exceed hundreds of gigahertz. The emergence 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 resolve technological difficulties. The electrodes of the drain and source melt under the influence of an electric field - this reduces the performance of the transistor. The disadvantage is planned to fix in the next couple of years. After that, the engineers will begin preparing to launch the product to the market.


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Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/456112/

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