Samsung Electronics – Investing in Graphene

Samsung Electronics – Investing in Graphene

Samsung Electronics – Investing in Graphene

Samsung Electronics, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of electronics, is looking into graphene properties for the production of devices that are likely to change the world. Recently, the company, through its principal research and development incubator (Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology), developed a transistor structure using graphene that has ‘miracle’ characteristics.

The shortcomings of the silicon transistors that are currently in use have motivated the move into graphene transistors.

In most semiconductor devices used today, billions of transistors use silicon transistors for their performance. In order to boost their performance speeds, i.e. their speeds, manufactures either minimize the size of the silicon transistors in a bid to shorten the distance that the electrons need to travel, or replace them with materials that possess properties for faster electron mobility which will increase the output of the semiconductor devices. Over the years, most manufacturers have been reducing the size of the transistors to boost performance. However, this trend will change due to the discovery of the graphene transistors.

Graphene has electron mobility of approximately two hundred times higher than that of the conventional silicon used in making transistors used in semiconductor devices. As a result, graphene transistors are potential replacements of silicon transistors.

Graphene is the world’s thinnest material, with a thickness of one atom. In addition to being exceptional in conducting heat and electricity, it is also very strong and flexible. Samsung Electronics aims to manufacture sleek devices with these characteristics. These devices could have multiple features that aim at satisfying customers while at the same time ensuring their durability.

The fact that graphene can be used to make an ultra slim phone which is ‘bendable’ or ‘foldable’ and among other features such as transparency (just like Samsung’s ‘YOUM’) excites a lot of people.