title: Carbon-based electronics.
abstract: The semiconductor industry has been able to improve the performance of electronic systems for more than four decades by making ever-smaller devices. However, this approach will soon encounter both scientific and technical limits, which is why the industry is exploring a number of alternative device technologies. Here we review the progress that has been made with carbon nanotubes and, more recently, graphene layers and nanoribbons. Field-effect transistors based on semiconductor nanotubes and graphene nanoribbons have already been demonstrated, and metallic nanotubes could be used as high-performance interconnects. Moreover, owing to the excellent optical properties of nanotubes it could be possible to make both electronic and optoelectronic devices from the same material.
authors.affiliation: IBM T. J. Watson Research Center, Yorktown Heights, New York 10598, USA. avouris@us.ibm.com
authors.forename: Phaedon
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Avouris
authors.forename: Zhihong
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Vasili
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Perebeinos
mesh_terms: D003460:Crystallization / Q000379:methods*; D004867:Equipment Design; D037741:Fullerenes / Q000737:chemistry*; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000639:trends*; D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D012666:Semiconductors
chemical_list: D037741:Fullerenes; D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon