Norway researchers grow semiconductors on graphene

According to NTNU, semiconductors grown on graphene are expected to become the basis for new types of device systems, and could fundamentally change the semiconductor industry.

The technology underpinning their approach has recently been described in a publication in the journal Nano Letters.

The new patented hybrid material offers excellent optoelectronic properties, said Prof Helge Weman, a professor at NTNU’s Department of Electronics and Telecommunications, and chief technology officer and co-founder of CrayoNano, the company created to commercialise the research.

‘We have managed to combine low cost, transparency and flexibility in our new electrode,’ he said in a statement.

The patented method of growing semiconductor nanowires on atomically thin graphene uses MBE (Molecular Beam Epitaxy) to grow the nanowires.

Weman said: ‘We do not see this as a new product. This is a template for a new production method for semiconductor devices. We expect solar cells and light-emitting diodes to be first in line when future applications are planned.