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Following Samsung’s introduction of the first flexible organic light-emitting diode (OLED) products this year, demand for these elastic displays is expected to grow by more than a factor of four next year, with sales reaching nearly $100 million in 2014.
 
Global market revenue for flexible OLEDs will rise to $94.8 million in 2014, up from $21.9 million in 2013, according to a new report entitled “In-depth analysis for Technical Trends of Flexible OLED” from IHS Inc., a global source of critical information and insight.

The projected growth next year will equate to a 334 percent expansion from this year, as presented in the figure below, paving the way for much larger sales in the future.

Click image to see full screen.

Click image to see full screen.

OLEDs represent a major segment of the larger flexible display market, which in the coming years will also include liquid-crystal display (LCD) and electronic paper (e-paper) technology.

“The buzz about flexible displays has been growing louder, ever since Samsung Display demonstrated its Youm line of bendable OLED products at the Consumer Electronics Show in January,” said Vinita Jakhanwal, director of mobile and emerging displays and technology at IHS. “Samsung is expected to begin shipping its first flexible OLED display—a 5-inch screen—in the second half of this year.”

Samsung’s initial product is likely to be a first-generation flexible display, employing a non-glass substrate that yields superior thinness and unbreakable ruggedness. However, such displays are flat and cannot be bent or rolled. Flexible displays are expected to eventually evolve into rollable and foldable OLED screens that are likely to be introduced after 2016.

Even so, it is too early for flexible OLED panels to fully replace conventional OLED screens. This is because the plastic substrate, thin-film encapsulation and other related technologies for flexible OLED remain immature for immediate application. Moreover, manufacturing processes are still being tested.

“A wide range of complementary technologies are under development to accelerate the advancement of flexible displays,” Jakhanwal said. “The success of the flexible OLED market will ultimately be determined by the maturity of the materials and manufacturing processes that will enable large-volume production at reasonable costs.”

Saws made of carbon


September 10, 2013

You can’t saw without producing sawdust – and that can be expensive if, for example, the “dust” comes from wafer manufacturing in the photovoltaic and semiconductor industries, where relatively high kerf loss has been accepted as an unavoidable, if highly regrettable, fact of life. But now scientists from the Fraunhofer Institute for Mechanics of Materials IWM in Freiburg together with colleagues from the Australian Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation CSIRO have developed a saw wire that is set to effect dramatic reductions in kerf loss: in place of diamond-impregnated steel wires, the researchers use ultra-thin and extremely stable threads made of carbon nanotubes coated with diamond.

saw for cutting silicon

New ultra-thin saw wire for cutting silicon wafers

The potential of coated carbon nanotubes has long been understood: possible applications include its use as a hard and tough composite material or as a component of highly sensitive sensors and thermoelectric generators. However, the new material is extremely difficult to synthesize. Diamonds only grow under extreme conditions – at temperatures of around 900 degrees Celsius in an atmosphere containing hydrocarbons. Growing diamonds on nanotubes is a tricky proposition, because carbon tends to form graphite. In order to catalyse the formation of the diamond phase, it’s necessary to use reactive hydrogen to prohibit the deposition of graphite. However, this process also damages the carbon nanotubes.

But the IWM scientist Manuel Mee found a solution for protecting the fine carbon nanotubes, which grow like forests on a substrate: “During our first experiments, fused silica from the reaction chamber accidentally came into contact with the coating plasma. It settled on the substrate and protected it against the aggressive hydrogen.” And to his surprise, diamonds actually grew on this layer. “What followed was careful, painstaking work,” points out Mee. “We had to study the silicon oxide layer, which was deposited in an undefined manner, and find a method of controlling the deposition and optimizing the process.” Tests with a transmission electron microscope at CSIRO’s lab in Australia revealed that the nanotubes actually survived under their protective layer.

A German-Australian success story

How exactly to proceed from there was the question that now faced the scientists. If they found a way to coat with diamond the nanothreads that the CSIRO specialists make from nanotubes, these diamond-coated nanothreads could be used to manufacture ultra-thin saws capable of cutting through silicon wafers for instance. The Australian team at CSIRO is one of the principal global experts with the know-how to manufacture yarns from carbon nanotubes. The manufacturing process requires special carbon nanotube “forests”, which can be extracted as an ultra-thin “felt” and twisted into a very thin yarn ten to twenty micrometers in diameter. In principle, this diamond-coated yarn is the ideal material on which to base a new generation of saws, which could be used in the solar industry for example. As Mee explains: “The new saw wires held out the promise of being far superior to traditional steel wires. Because of their high tensile strength, they can be manufactured much thinner than steel wires – and that means significantly less kerf loss.”

In the meantime, the physicist has managed to implement his idea. A joint patent application by Fraunhofer and CSIRO has already been filed for the method and corresponding products. Mee and his colleagues are currently carrying out sawing tests.

“To be able to show our partners in industry the potential the technology holds,” says Mee, “we have to demonstrate how it can help solar companies to save material when processing wafers.”

By Christian Gregor Dieseldorff, SEMI Industry Research & Statistics Group (September 3, 2013)

Next year could be a golden year for the industry.

While GDP in 2013 is generally about the same as in 2012, it is expected to rise in 2014, to 3.8 percent from 3.1 percent. Semiconductor revenue has improved in 2013 compared to 2012 and early forecasts for 2014 project  revenue growth averaging about 8 percent. Semiconductor companies have adjusted their capital expenditure accordingly, and the SEMI World Fab Forecast data now indicates fab equipment spending for 2014 will reach historic highs.

Read more: Despite challenges, industrial semiconductor market reports positive Q1

The SEMI World Fab Forecast report tracks over 200 projects, with details revealing that fab equipment spending declines by 1 percent in 2013, but will increase 25 percent in 2014, including new, used and in-house equipment.

Overall fab spending in the first half of 2013 was slower, especially for fab equipment spending.  Excluding a large purchase by Globalfoundries for used 300mm equipment from Promos (US$ 30 billion) the decline in 2013 would have been -3.4 percent instead of -1 percent. Fab equipment spending is expected to be stronger in the second half of 2013, with a 30 to 40 percent increase over the first half, though  the year will end with an overall equipment spending decrease of -1 percent.

SEMI’s data show a different outlook for fab construction projects, forecasting a 25 percent increase in 2013 and then a drop of 16 percent in 2014. Fabs being built this year will begin equipping next year which affects fab equipment spending.

Semiconductor device revenues did not grow in 2012 (dropped by about 2.7 percent), thus many companies slowed down capacity additions last year.  With some improvement in the market, the SEMI data indicate that more capacity will be added in the 2nd half of 2013 and even more in 2014, for overall capacity growth of about 4 percent.

Fab-image1

Read more: IDC forecasts worldwide semiconductor revenue will grow 6.9% in 2013

Underdog DRAM surges to the front of the pack with 30 percent growth in 2014

Fab equipment spending for dedicated foundries remains strong in 2013 ($12B) and in 2014 ($13B) — a growth rate of 5 percent in 2014. Foundry equipment spending growth rates have been more controlled and not changing as dramatically as in other industry segments. In the years prior to the economic downturn, fab equipment spending for DRAM was the highest spending industry segment. Since 2011, however, the dedicated foundry sector replaced DRAM as the leading industry sector. See figure.

Fab-image2

Fab equipment spending growth for DRAM turned negative in 2011 and 2012, as companies consolidated or diverted memory capacity into other products such as System LSI.  DRAM equipment spending dropped by double digits in 2011 and 2012 (-35 percent and -25 percent respectively).  SEMI’s data show that this will change dramatically, with DRAM fab equipment spending surging by 17 percent in 2013 and at least 30 percent in 2014. Driven by increased average selling prices (ASPs), up by about 40 percent in 2013, companies begin to see profit on DRAM and slowly invest in new capacity. See figure.

Fab-image3

An increase of about 2 to 3 percent for installed capacity for DRAM in 2014 is small but remarkable, given that the industry has not added any new DRAM capacity for years, and actually decreased capacity between 2011 and 2013.

The sector with largest growth rate for fab equipment spending in 2014 is expected to be Flash with 40 percent to 45 percent (YoY).  Over the last few years, with fears of oversupply and price collapse, capacity additions for the Flash sector also stagnated. Some companies even stopped or reduced adding new capacity (for example, Sandisk in 2012 and in 2013), leading to a tight supply, but a rebound in capacity is expected in the 2nd half of 2013 and through 2014. SEMI’s reports show detailed predictions for robust spending in DRAM and Flash by several large companies.
For example, Micron, which officially acquired Elpida and Rexchip in July 2013, will dedicate almost half of its total 2014 capital expenditure to DRAM.  After converting several fabs from memory to System LSI, rival Samsung is also expected to change tactics, spending less on System LSI and more on Memory in 2013 and 2014.  Samsung’s Flash facility in China is expected to ramp to phase 1 by end of 2014.  (The World Fab Forecast report reveals more detail on this and other surprising changes for S1 facilities and Line 16.)  Overall fab equipment spending for Flash alone is expected to hit a record of almost $8B in 2014. The largest contributors are the Samsung fab in China and Line 16, Hynix M12 and M11, Flash Alliance fabs and Micron fabs.

MPU joins DRAM as the next underdog

After Flash and DRAM, MPU is expected to show the next largest growth in 2014, with fab equipment spending growing by over 40 percent (YoY). While MPU languished in 2011 and 2012, and even dipped into negative growth in 2013, with low utilization in some fabs, Intel is now preparing for 14nm, kicking off an MPU surge for 2014. The World Fab Forecast report gives insight into Intel’s preparations for 14nm.

Semiconductor companies appear to have mastered the art of fast adaptation to chip prices and business developments. With improving prices for DRAM, similar changes steer various sectors of the industry into unprecedented growth.  With GDP predictions around 3 to 4 percent, revenue expectations in upper single digits, and historic numbers for equipment spending, next year could be a golden year for many semiconductor companies and equipment manufacturers.

SEMI World Fab Forecast Report

Since the last fab database publication at the end May 2013 SEMI’s worldwide dedicated analysis team has made 242 updates to 205 facilities (including Opto/LED fabs) in the database. The latest edition of the World Fab Forecast lists 1,147 facilities (including 247 Opto/LED facilities), with 66 facilities with various probabilities starting production this year and in the near future. We added 14 new facilities and closed 8 facilities.

The SEMI World Fab Forecast uses a bottom-up approach methodology, providing high-level summaries and graphs; and in-depth analyses of capital expenditures, capacities, technology and products by fab. Additionally, the database provides forecasts for the next 18 months by quarter. These tools are invaluable for understanding how the semiconductor manufacturing will look in 2013 and 2014, and learning more about capex for construction projects, fab equipping, technology levels, and products.

The SEMI Worldwide Semiconductor Equipment Market Subscription (WWSEMS) data tracks only new equipment for fabs and test and assembly and packaging houses.  The SEMI World Fab Forecast and its related Fab Database reports track any equipment needed to ramp fabs, upgrade technology nodes, and expand or change wafer size, including new equipment, used equipment, or in-house equipment. Also check out the Opto/LED Fab Forecast. Learn more about the SEMI fab databases at: www.semi.org/MarketInfo/FabDatabase and www.youtube.com/user/SEMImktstats

PC outlook lowered again


August 30, 2013

Worldwide PC shipments are now expected to fall by -9.7 percent in 2013, further deepening what is already the longest market contraction on record, according to the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly PC Tracker. The new forecast reflects not only a continued expansion of mobile device options at the expense of PCs, but also marked the cessation of emerging market growth that the industry had come to rely on in recent years. The market as a whole is expected to decline through at least 2014, with only single-digit modest growth from 2015 onward, and never regain the peak volumes last seen in 2011.

While the results of the second quarter were in line with forecast, a number of issues led IDC to further downgrade its PC outlook. Aside from stubbornly depressed consumer interest, 2013 also marks the first year where emerging regions are expected to contract at a steeper rate than mature regions. Leading this trend is China’s revised forecast, which calls for a double-digit decline in shipments this year compared to 2012, as channel sources report high levels of stagnant inventory and continued enthusiasm for tablets and smartphones. The repercussions of a slowing China, anxiety over the possible tapering of the U.S. quantitative easing program, and weak intrinsic PC demand are among a litany of factors that have rippled across portions of other formerly strong-growth areas, leading emerging markets as a whole to see declines through at least 2014.

“The days where one can assume tablet disruptions are purely a First World problem are over,” said Jay Chou, senior research analyst, Worldwide Quarterly PC Trackers at IDC. “Advances in PC hardware, such as improvements in the power efficiency of x86 processors remain encouraging, and Windows 8.1 is also expected to address a number of well-documented concerns. However, the current PC usage experience falls short of meeting changing usage patterns that are spreading through all regions, especially as tablet price and performance become ever more attractive.”

Looking beyond 2014, IDC expects a slow rebound, driven in part by modest consumer refresh of systems whose lifecycle have dramatically lengthened in recent years, as well as businesses taking a first serious look beyond Windows 7. However, without an adequate mass of compelling applications, the PC market is poised to subsist primarily on lukewarm replacements in the future.

“The second quarter of 2013 was the third consecutive quarter where the U.S. market came through stronger than the worldwide market. This was largely due to some recovery in the overall economy and channel inventory replenishment,” said Rajani Singh, research analyst, Client Computing. “Following the stronger than expected 2Q13, we expect the second half of 2013 to restore some volume momentum driven largely by better channel involvement of top vendors and industry restructuring/alignment. We also anticipate operating system migration (Window XP to 7) will drive some volume in the commercial segment. Entry-level ultraslim systems and lower-priced convertibles will also be bright spots in an otherwise still troubled consumer market.”

In its Research Bulletin dated August 2, 2013, IC Insights published its list of the top semiconductor sales leaders for the first half of 2013. The list showed the usual big-time players that we’ve come to expect like Intel, Samsung, and TSMC, leading the way in semiconductor sales through the first six months of the year. What stood out nearly as much, however, was that only one Japanese company—Toshiba—was present among the top 10 suppliers through the first half of 2013.  Anyone who has been involved in the semiconductor industry for a reasonable amount of time realizes this is a major shift and a big departure for a country that once was feared and revered when it came to its semiconductor manufacturing presence on the global market.

Figure 1 traces the top 10 semiconductor companies dating back to 1985, when Japanese semiconductor manufacturers wielded their influence on the global stage.  That year, there were five Japanese companies ranked among the top 10 semiconductor suppliers.  Then, in 1990, six Japanese companies were counted among the top 10 semiconductor suppliers—a figure that has not been matched by any country or region since.  The number of Japanese companies ranked in the top 10 in semiconductor sales slipped to four in 1995, then fell to three companies in 2000 and 2006, two companies in 2012, and then to only one company in the first half of 2013.

Read more: First half of 2013 shows big changes to the top 20 semiconductor supplier ranking

It is worth noting that Renesas (#11), Sony (#16), and Fujitsu (#22) were ranked among the top 25 semiconductor suppliers in 1H13, but Sony has been struggling to re-invent itself and Fujitsu has spent the first half of 2013 divesting most of its semiconductor operations.

Japan’s total presence and influence in the semiconductor marketplace has waned.  Once-prominent Japanese names now gone from the top suppliers list include NEC, Hitachi, Mitsubishi, and Matsushita. Competitive pressures from South Korean IC suppliers—especially in the DRAM market—have certainly played a significant role in changing the look of the top 10.  Samsung and SK Hynix emulated and perfected the Japanese manufacturing model over the years and cut deeply into sales and profits of Japanese semiconductor manufacturers, resulting in spin-offs, mergers, and acquisitions becoming more prevalent among Japanese suppliers.

  • 1999 — Hitachi and NEC merged their DRAM businesses to create Elpida Memory.
  • 2000 — Mitsubishi divested its DRAM business into Elpida Memory.
  • 2003 — Hitachi merged its remaining Semiconductor & IC Division with Mitsubishi’s System LSI Division to create Renesas Technology.
  • 2003 — Matsushita began emphasizing Panasonic as its main global brand name in 2003.  Previously, hundreds of consolidated companies sold Matsushita products under the Panasonic, National, Quasar, Technics, and JVC brand names.
  • 2007 — To reduce losses, Sony cut semiconductor capital spending and announced its move to an asset-lite strategy—a major change in direction for its semiconductor business.
  • 2010 — NEC merged its remaining semiconductor operations with Renesas Technology to form Renesas Electronics.
  • 2011 — Sanyo Semiconductor was acquired by ON Semiconductor.
  • 2013 — Fujitsu and Panasonic agreed to consolidate the design and development functions of their system LSI businesses.
  • 2013 — Fujitsu sold its MCU and analog IC business to Spansion.
  • 2013 — Fujitsu sold its wireless semiconductor business to Intel.
  • 2013 — Elpida Memory was formally acquired by Micron.
  • 2013 — After failing to find a buyer, Renesas announced plans to close its 300mm and 125mm wafer-processing site in Tsuruoka, Japan, by the end of 2013.  The facility makes system-LSI chips for Nintendo video game consoles and other consumer electronics.
  • 2013 — Unless it finds a buyer, Fujitsu plans to close its 300mm wafer fab in Mie.

Besides consolidation, another reason for Japan’s reduced presence among leading global semiconductor suppliers is that the vertically integrated business model that served Japanese companies so well for so many years is not nearly as effective in Japan today.  Due to the closed nature of the vertically integrated business model, when Japanese electronic systems manufacturers lost marketshare to global competitors, they took Japanese semiconductor divisions down with them.  As a result, Japanese semiconductor suppliers missed out on some major design win opportunities for their chips in many of the best-selling consumer, computer, and communications systems that are now driving semiconductor sales.

It is probably too strong to suggest that in the land of the rising sun, the sun has set on semiconductor manufacturing.  However, the global semiconductor landscape has changed dramatically from 25 years ago. For Japanese semiconductor companies that once prided themselves on their manufacturing might and discipline to practically disappear from the list of top semiconductor suppliers is evidence that competitive pressures are fierce and that as a country, perhaps Japan has not been as quick to adopt new methods to carry on and meet changing market needs.

Whereas the current display industry has developed its technology and products centered on scaling-up to large sizes and realizing high-resolution images, the future industry development direction is expected to focus on flexible displays. Compared to the conventional glass substrate, flexible displays are thinner, lighter, and less prone to break. With such properties, it is expected that flexible electronic devices will be able to replace the existing market as well as create new ones.

The flexible (thin glass, metal thin film, plastic) substrate is gaining importance as a key component that determines the processability, performance, reliability, and price of flexible displays. To this end, IHS Electronics & Media publishes a Flexible Display Substrate Technology report to analyze the technology development, industrial conditions, and R&D trends of flexible substrates.

According to the report, the flexible substrate market is forecast to grow to $506.7 million by 2020 from a $2.5 million in 2013. The OLED display, another market that can be created by applying the flexible substrate technology, is expected to make up 91 percent of the overall market.

Ongoing weakness in notebook personal computers will be offset by stronger unit growth of touch-screen tablets—especially smaller “mini” systems with 7- and 8-inch displays—resulting in a four percent increase in integrated circuit sales for all types of personal computing products this year, says a new update of IC Insights’ 2013 edition of IC Market Drivers—A Study of Emerging and Major End-Use Applications Fueling Demand for Integrated Circuits.  Combined IC sales for standard PCs, tablets, and new cloud-computing portables are forecast to reach $77.6 billion in 2013 compared to $74.9 billion in 2012, when the total fell six percent from $79.6 billion in 2011, according to the 2Q13 update to the IC Market Drivers report.

IC Insights is now forecasting a two percent decline in integrated circuit sales for keyboard-equipped standard PCs (desktops and notebooks) to $62.5 billion in 2013, following drops of 12 percent in 2012 and seven percent in 2011.  IC sales for standard PCs are slumping primarily due to slowing shipments of notebook computers, which are being superseded by tablets in consumer computing markets worldwide.  IC sales for tablet computers are forecast to rise 37 percent to $14.7 billion in 2013 after climbing 77 percent in 2012 and 190 percent in 2011.

In the new update to the IC Market Drivers report, IC Insights is raising its forecast for tablet unit shipments to 190 million systems worldwide in 2013, which would be a 62 percent increase from 117 million in 2012.  The forecast for standard PC shipments has been lowered to 347 million units in 2013, which is slightly less than a 1 percent increase from 344 million units in 2012.  IC Insights’ new forecast continues to show tablet unit shipments surpassing desktop PCs in 2013 (190 million tablets versus 150 million desktop PCs).  The updated forecast also continues to show tablet shipments exceeding notebook unit volumes in 2014, but the gap has been increased—253 million tablets versus 210 million notebook PCs next year.

IC Insights believes it now takes the sale of nearly 2.3 tablets to roughly equal the IC dollar value of one notebook PC.  The average IC content of a tablet computer is estimated at $77.50.  Nearly all tablets today are made with 32-bit microprocessors, which are often similar to application processors found in smartphones.  The vast majority of tablet processors are built with RISC cores licensed from ARM in the U.K. instead of the x86 MPU architecture used in microprocessors sold by Intel and Advanced Micro Devices for standard PCs.  ARM-based tablet microprocessors have much lower average selling prices (ASPs) than x86 MPUs—often 20 percent or less than the ASPs of PC processors.  Most tablet processors are also system-on-chip (SoC) designs with integrated graphics and many system-level functions, which reduce the need for a number of ICs and chipsets that have populated notebook PC motherboards.  Tablets also contain less DRAM memory than standard PCs, but they use NAND flash for internal storage instead of hard-disk drives.

The outlook for tablet IC sales has been increased with revenues projected to rise by a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of about 25 percent between 2012 and 2016, reaching $26.6 billion in the final forecast year.  IC sales for standard PCs are now expected to grow by a CAGR of nearly 2 percent in the four-year period to $68.5 billion in 2016.  IC sales for new cloud-computing portable systems—such as Google’s Chromebook platform—are forecast to increase by a CAGR of 41 percent percent from about $500 million in 2012 to $1.8 billion in 2016.  These Internet-centric portables must be connected online to the web to fully function.   Low-cost cloud-computing portables are expected to be a small-but-fast growing market niche, reaching 27 million systems in 2016 compared to 5 million in 2012, according to IC Insights’ new market update report.

At this week’s International Image Sensor Workshop (IISW 2013, Snowbird, Utah, June 12-16 2013), imec and Holst Centre presented a large-area fully-organic photodetector array fabricated on a flexible substrate. The imager is sensitive in the wavelength range suitable for x-ray imaging applications.

Because of their very high absorption coefficient, organic semiconductors allow extremely thin active layers (10 to 50 nm). Also, given their low processing temperature, they can be processed on foils. As a result, organic imagers can be more robust and light-weight compared to their traditional counterparts and may be used for conformal coating of randomly shaped substrates. Moreover, the wide variety of organic molecules available ensures that the properties of the active layer can be tuned to applications requiring specific wavelength ranges.

The presented imager is sensitive in the wavelength range between 500 and 600nm, making it compatible with typical scintillators and therefore suitable for x-ray imaging applications. It was fabricated by thermally evaporating an ultrathin (submicron) photosensitive layer of small, organic molecules (SubPc/C60) on top of an organic readout circuit. A semi-transparent top contact enables front-side illumination. The readout backplane was manufactured on six-inch foil-laminated wafers. It consists of pentacene-based thin-film transistors (TFTs) in arrays of 32×32 pixels with varying pitch (1 mm and 200 µm). To prevent degradation of the organic semiconductors in the air, the photodetector array is encapsulated. The imager was characterized under illumination with a calibrated green light-emitting diode (LED), yielding a linearly increasing photocurrent from the incident power of 3 µW/cm2. Dark current density is below 10-6 A/cm2 at a bias voltage of -2V.

organic, flexible imager
Fully-organic, flexible imager developed by imec, Holst Centre and Philips Research

“This latest achievement is a significant step forward in not only finding the optimal materials, but pinpointing the best ways to process materials into reliable organic circuits and systems with state-of-the-art performance,” said Paul Heremans, technology director at the imec/Holst Centre. “Once again, we’re proud to demonstrate how imec’s top-notch research leads to relevant industrial solutions, and subsequently brings added value to our partners’ businesses.”

This research results are presented in collaboration with Philips Research, at the (2013 International Image Sensor Workshop (IISW), sponsored by the International Image Sensor Society (IISS), June 12-16, 2013.

Researchers from IMDEA-Nanociencia Institute and from Autonoma and Complutense Universities of Madrid (Spain) have managed to give graphene magnetic properties. The breakthrough, published in the journal ‘Nature Physics’, opens the door to the development of graphene-based spintronic devices, that is, devices based on the spin or rotation of the electron, and could transform the electronics industry.

Scientists were already aware that graphene, an incredible material formed of a mesh of hexagonal carbon atoms, has extraordinary conductivity, mechanical and optical properties. Now it is possible to give it yet one more property: magnetism, implying a breakthrough in electronics.

magnetizing graphene
This is a computerised simulation of TCNQ molecules on graphene layer, where they acquire a magnetic order.

This is revealed in the study that the Madrid Institute for Advanced Studies in Nanoscience (IMDEA-Nanociencia) and Autonoma Autonomous (UAM) and Complutense (UCM) universities of Madrid have just published in the ‘Nature Physics’ journal. Researchers have managed to create a hybrid surface from this material that behaves as a magnet.      

"In spite of the huge efforts to date of scientists all over the world, it has not been possible to add the magnetic properties required to develop graphene-based spintronics. However these results pave the way to this possibility," said Prof. Rodolfo Miranda, director of IMDEA-Nanociencia.

Spintronics is based on the charge of the electron, as in traditional electronics, but also on its spin, which determines its magnetic moment. A material is magnetic when most of its electrons have the same spin.

As the spin can have two values, its use adds two more states to traditional electronics. Thus, both data processing speed and quantity of data to be stored on electronic devices can be increased, with applications in fields such as telecommunications, computing, energy and biomedicine.

In order to develop a graphene-based spintronic device, the challenge was to ‘magnetize’ the material, and researchers from Madrid have found the way through the quantum and nanoscience world.

The technique involves growing an ultra-perfect graphene film over a ruthenium single crystal inside an ultra high vacuum chamber whereorganic molecules of tetracyano-p-quinodimethane (TCNQ) are evaporated on the grapheme surface. TCNQ is a molecule that acts as a semiconductor at very low temperatures in certain compounds.

On observing results through a scanning tunneling microscope (STM), scientists were surprised: organic molecules had organised themselves and were regularly distributed all over the surface, interacting electronically with the graphene-ruthenium substrate.                                                    

"We have proved in experiments how the structure of the TCNQ molecules over graphene acquires long-range magnetic order with electrons positioned in different bands according to their spin," clarifies Prof. Amadeo L. Vázquez de Parga.

Meanwhile, his colleague Prof. Fernando Martin has conducted modelling studies that have shown that, although graphene does not interact directly with the TCNQ, it does permit a highly efficient charge transfer between the substrate and the TCNQ molecules and allows the molecules to develop long range magnetic order.

The result is a new graphene-based magnetized layer, which paves the way towards the creation of devices based on what was already considered as the material of the future, but which now may also have magnetic properties.