An international collaboration has made a groundbreaking advancement in the realm of 6G technology by developing a 120GHz RF MOSFET utilizing Hexagonal Boron Nitride (hBN). This innovative achievement is the result of the combined efforts of researchers from the UAB Department of Telecommunications and Systems Engineering at the University of Barcelona.
The newly developed MOSFET boasts twice the operating frequency of current silicon-based devices for 6G, all without the necessity of applying a constant voltage. This feat is made possible by the unique properties of hBN, which enable its ON or OFF state to be activated by an electrical voltage pulse rather than a continuous signal.
"Our research team from the Department of Telecommunications and Systems Engineering at the UAB played a pivotal role in designing the devices and conducting their experimental characterization in the laboratory," explained researcher Jordi Verdú. "For the first time, we have successfully demonstrated the functionality of a switch based on hBN, a non-volatile material, in a frequency range of up to 120 GHz. This opens up the exciting possibility of integrating this technology into the upcoming 6G mass communications systems, which will require a large number of such elements."
These cutting-edge devices leverage the concept of memristance, which refers to the alteration in electrical resistance of a material when subjected to a voltage. Previous experiments had led to the development of rapid switches using memristors constructed from two-dimensional networks of hBN bonded together to create a surface.
However, a recent breakthrough in the field involved the utilization of the same material arranged in a superposition of layers, ranging from 12 to 18 layers in total. This new configuration enables the devices to operate at an impressive frequency of 260 GHz with a remarkable stability of approximately 2000 cycles, making them suitable for integration into electronic devices.
The research initiative was spearheaded by the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia, in collaboration with experts from the University of Texas at Austin (USA), the Tyndall National Institute, and University College Cork in Ireland. This collaborative effort has paved the way for a significant leap forward in the realm of 6G technology, promising enhanced performance and efficiency in future communication systems.