Introduction to Nanotechnology for Electronics :
Nanotechnology has already reached the electronics industry with features in microprocessors now less than 100 nanometres (nm) in size (Intel’s Prescott processor uses 90 nm size features). Smaller sizes allow faster processing times and also more processing power to be packed into a given area. However, these advances are really only a continuation of existing microelectronics, and will reach their limit sometime around the end of the next decade (2018 or so) when it will be both physically impossible to “write” or “etch” smaller features in silicon, and also because at extremely small sizes (less than 20 nm) silicon becomes electrically “leaky” causing short circuits.
Nanoelectronics on the otherhand offer a new approach for the electronics industry in the form of new circuit materials, processors, information storage and even ways of transferring information such as optoelectronics.
Nanotechnology for Electronics - Computers
Computers and the industries around them are set to be advanced a further giant step with the application of nanotechnology. The limits of current technologies are quickly being reached, as memory and processor speeds hit their present theoretical maximums. Nanotechnology gives scope to develop new ideas and methods of running super-fast processors, storing data, and many other computational advances. It also allows for new applications which require more processing power, or to be smaller, or less energy intensive.
The current method of etching (lithography) smaller components each time has almost reached its limit; and will no longer be able to produce the required accuracy. Also, at these sizes silicon-based components are more likely to fail (or not operate properly). That is where nanotechnology, and the bottom up building approach comes into play.
Faster Processors :
As a result of the limitations of current technology, manufacturers are turning to nanotechnology to produce the next generation of processors and computer components. A bottom up approach is required, as etching techniques can only take features so far – anything below 22nm is just not feasible.
Chipmakers in the computing industry are already working at the nanoscale. Many companies are now in the late development stages of processor chipsets of around 60nm, with Intel being close to market with their 65nm products. The Intel chipsets feature greater performance as a result of a 10-15% improved drive current through the application of nanotechnology. At this nanosize, the chipsets also suffer from less 'leakage', therefore offering large power savings.
IBM researchers have developed transistors from carbon nanotubes. These have shown vast improvements on the more conventional silicon transistors. The carbon nanotubes are long, thin strands of carbon molecules. In the lab, they delivered more than double the amount of electrical current compared to the top-performing transistors currently on the market.
A brief video explaining what a carbon nanotube is and what they might bring to future technologies. Audio
from Earth & Sky, produced for Too Small To See. www.earthsky.org www.toosmalltosee.org
CNT has been prepared by fusing carbon rods at high temperature.
Nanotechnology for Electronics-Telecommunications and Handheld Devices :
More and more in modern life, people are working on the move, which means taking their laptop, phone, and other electronic equipment everywhere they go. There is a need to combine all these functions in one device so that people can communicate with colleagues and clients, whilst continuously having access to their files regardless of their location.
Nanotechnology can offer improved versatility through faster data transfer, more mobile processing power and larger data storage.
for more : http://www.nanoforum.org/educationtree/electronics/electronics-telecommunications.htm
for more info : http://research.nokia.com/morph
for more info : http://research.nokia.com/morph
Nanotechnology for Electronics-Optics :
An area of electronics in which nanotechnology can make a significant difference is in optics; specifically displays and lighting.
It is true that displays have been becoming lighter and of a much higher standard in recent years, but the limits of current technology are fast being reached. Displays are still not very portable, and usually take up a lot of space. Imagine if a crystal-clear display existed that could be rolled up or folded away when not in use? Or a lightbulb that wasted no energy and saved the user vast amounts of money? Traditional light bulbs waste about 90% of their electricity use by turning it into heat.
*New Lighting :
Incandescent light bulbs are extremely inefficient converting only about 10% of the electricity they use into light (the rest is lost as heat). Although energy saving bulbs are more efficient, they too lose a significant amount of energy as heat.
Light emitting diodes ( LEDs ) lose very little energy as heat and also last up to 20 times longer than conventional light bulbs. With advances in their nanocrystalline structure in recent years, they are now emitting more light per watt of power consumed than incandescent bulbs and about the same as fluorescent bulbs.
Using different semiconductor materials, different colours of LED are possible (note this is the opposite effect as that described for solar cells which absorb different spectrums of light)
*New Displays :
Nanotechnology will bring about a new era of displays in a number of ways.
Organic Light Emitting Diodes (or OLEDs ) are cheaper and easier to manufacture than LEDs. These consist of thin layers of electrically conducting organic molecules which are approximately 100 nanometres (nm) thick. The convenience of these is that they can be applied to different materials using a process similar to ink-jet printing (as is the case for organic dye-based solar cells). The downside is that OLEDs have a much shorter life-span and are also much less efficient than LEDs. The main applications of OLEDs are in small video screens (such as mobile phones).
Carbon nanotubes (pictured above) are now being prepared for use in displays. Companies such as Rosseter in Cyprus are already producing them for commercial use because of their amazing chemical, physical and mechanical properties. Carbon nanotubes are up to 100 times stronger than steel, yet only 1/6 of the weight. They can even be flexible as the image below shows. In addition, they conduct electricity better than copper.
Finally, this method may be looking quite far into the future, but MIT researchers have created a quantum dot OLED (QD-OLED). Quantum dots generate their own light - unlike traditional LCDs which are lit from behind - and the dots can be manipulated to emit absolutely any colour imaginable, with no range limit as seen with traditional devices.
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