Researchers testing carbon nanotube-based integrated circuits have found that they work under a supply voltage much lower than that used in conventional silicon integrated circuits.

Integrated circuits have become commonplace in electrical equipment today, and have essentially revolutionised the world of electronics. Devices such as computers, mobile phones and other digital applications have all been made possible by the low cost of production of integrated circuits.

Now, a team of researchers from Peking University in Beijing, China, and Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, have found a way that carbon nanotube-based integrated circuits can work under a supply voltage much lower than that used in conventional silicon integrated circuits.

Using low supply voltage circuits produce less heat, which becomes an important limiting factor for increased circuit density. The speed of carbon-based electronics is often cited as their primary benefit, but this new research suggests that carbon nanotube integrated circuits could also offer the promise of extending Moore’s Law by allowing even more transistors to fit onto a single chip without overheating.