[News] China Unveils World’s First Two-Dimensional GAAFET Transistor Using Non-Silicon Material

According to TechNews, citing Tom’s Hardware, a research team from China’s Peking University has developed the world’s first two-dimensional, low-power GAAFET transistor. Their findings have been published in Nature.

The team claimed that their transistor is the fastest and most efficient available. According to Tom’s Hardware, they stated that, in tests against products from Intel, TSMC, Samsung, and other manufacturers, it demonstrated superior performance under identical operating conditions.

As highlighted by the report, Peking University’s breakthrough innovation lies in the two-dimensional nature of their GAAFET, which is realized using non-silicon-based materials.

While past efforts to incorporate 2D materials into GAAFETs struggled with structural and material limitations, preventing them from matching the performance of silicon-based transistors, the researchers stated that they overcame these challenges by developing their own bismuth-based materials, according to South China Morning Post.

Bi₂O₂Se, or bismuth oxyselenide, has attracted significant attention in recent years as a promising semiconductor material for sub-1nm process technology, as noted by Tom’s Hardware, largely because of its ability to form two-dimensional semiconductors

As indicated by Tom’s Hardware, two-dimensional semiconductors, such as 2D Bi₂O₂Se, are more flexible and robust at a small scale compared to silicon, which suffers from reduced carrier mobility even at the 10nm node.

The Peking University team’s breakthroughs in stacked 2D transistors and the transition from silicon to bismuth represent exciting advancements for the future of semiconductors and China’s tech industry. However, as the report from Tom’s Hardware suggests, it remains uncertain whether 2D GAAFET transistors will become the future of semiconductor fabrication.

Gate-all-around field-effect transistors (GAAFETs) are the advancement in transistor technology, succeeding MOSFETs and FinFETs. As the report from Tom’s Hardware points out, GAAFETs are not new; they are essential for manufacturing microchips at 3nm and nodes below.

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