Nanotube breakthrough heralds next-gen microchips

Researchers from Cambridge University have developed a technique for crafting integrated circuits which transmit current through carbon nanotubes, potentially reducing the size and improving the density of microchips.

Using carbon nanotubes to transmit current allowed the researchers to eliminate the need for conventional copper wiring.

Chipmakers could increase electrical current densities by as much as five times, the researchers said, allowing for smaller and more powerful microprocessors.

The carbon nanotubes were developed by Cambridge researchers John Robertson and Santiago Esconjauregui, who devised a method which arranges carbon atoms at a far greater density, allowing the nanotubes to conduct sufficient electricity for an integrated circuit.

The researchers plan to release further details on the processor later this month at an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers conference in San Francisco.

Nanotechnology has long been viewed as key to the development of smaller and more powerful computing devices. Researchers believe that nanotech circuitry will allow chipmakers to go beyond the physical limits of conventional silicon fabrication methods.

Nanotubes have also been considered for use in storage, networking and display hardware.