Dirac-source field-effect transistors as energy-efficient, high-performance electronic switches

Cooler electrons for transistors The operating power of field-effect transistors is constrained in part by the minimum change in voltage needed to change the current output. This subthreshold swing (SS) limit is caused by hotter electrons from a thermal electron source leaking over the potential of the gate electrode. Qiu et al. show that graphene can act as a Dirac source that creates a narrower distribution of electron energies. When coupled to a carbon nanotube channel, the decrease in SS would allow the supply voltage to be decreased from 0.7 to 0.5 volts. Science , this issue p. 387