Carbon nanotubes will help keep electronics in space

Researchers placed carbon nanotubes on a silicon wafer as a semiconducting layer in

field effect transistors.They tested different configurations of transistors with different levels of shielding (protecting conductors or equipment from interference caused by electromagnetic radiation from other conductors or equipment - "High-Tech"), consisting of thin layers of hafnium oxide, titanium and platinum around the semiconductor layer.

The team placed the transistor between two shields.Scientists have discovered that nanotubes protect electrical properties from radiation up to 10 Mrad. This is much higher than what radiation-hardened silicon-based devices can withstand. By placing a shield under the transistor, the nanotubes were protected to 2 Mrad. These indicators are equal to the level that radiation-hardened silicon-based electronics can withstand.

For ease of manufacturing radiation-resistantThe devices team created static memory chips (SRAM) where they placed a shield under the transistor. Research has shown that these chips have the same stability threshold as silicon-based SRAMs.

This work shows that carbon nanotubescould be a promising addition to next-generation electronics. The service life and range of flights into space are severely limited by the reliability of technology. These one-atom-thick tubes are expected to make transistors more energy efficient than conventional silicon.

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