Carbon Transistors Promise More Speed and RAM Capacity (http://cacm.acm.org)

 

The chronic shortage of RAM in smartphones due to space and power constraints could be solved by replacing silicon transistors with carbon transistors.

 

If claims made by scientists at TAU are to be believed, the transistors consisting of C60 molecules (the name is derived from a 60 carbon atom structure) can be built in a smaller sizes and could operate much more efficiently.

 

Elad Mentovich from TAU found that other than silicon transistors, his C60 transistors can both store and transfer energy and do not need the capacitor that is required for a silicon transistor. The result would be more room for transistors and reduced energy consumption. According to Mentovich, the carbon transistors could be built as small as 1 nm and manufactured on today's manufacturing equipment.

 

The next phase of the research is to find a production fab that will actually produce the transistors.

 

 

English for Specific Purposes

132 Electronic Engineering

 

 

Word list

 

UNIT 1. Electronics & Microelectronics

 

advantage (n)

 

amplification (n)

 

appliance (n)

 

capacitor (n)

 

cellular (adj)

 

chip (n)

 

circuit (n)

 

conductivity (n)

 

conductor (n)

 

current (n)

 

derivative (adj)

 

die (n)

 

diode (n)

 

discrete (adj)

 

distinct (adj)

 

electron (n)

 

etch (v)

 

expose (v)

 

impurity (n)

 

inductor (n)

 

inextricable (adj)

 

insulator (n)

 

intrinsic (adj)

 

layer (n)

 

magnitude (n)

 

manufacture (n)

 

microchip (n)

 

miniaturize (v)

 

package (n, v)

 

parasitic (adj)

 

photolithography (n)

 

photoresist (n)

 

resistor (n)

 

scale (n)

 

semiconductor (n)

 

solder (v, n)

 

substrate (n)

 

surface (n)

 

wafer (n)