Graphene Semiconductors: Introduction and Market status

Researchers from Princeton University, University of Michigan, California State University and Japan's National Institute for Materials Science have introduced Qumus, an embodied AI system that can autonomously create graphene and fabricate atomically thin graphene devices in a robotic mini-laboratory.

Qumus AI architecture and fully robotic minilab. a Defining characteristics of an AI experimentalist. b Key self-evolving modules of Qumus, including LLM-agents, memory and knowledge systems, and skills including instrumental workflows and materials/devices realization recipes. c Qumus architecture for efficient multi-agent collaboration and robust performance. d A compact, fully robotic minilab consisting of vacuum- and temperature-controlled stages for 2D material mechanical exfoliation, optical flake search, flake transfer and stacking, along with robotic arms, storage modules, cameras, and microscope systems. Image from : arXiv

Qumus is built around the complete graphene workflow: from exfoliating bulk crystals to isolating single-layer flakes and stacking them into functional van der Waals (vdW) devices, all without human intervention. The system combines generative AI, computer vision and robotics to handle the labor-intensive steps that typically limit graphene research, such as flake discovery, thickness assessment and submicron alignment during transfer.

Paragraf has announced the launch of its latest Graphene Field Effect Transistor (GFET), the PMF2000, marking a step forward in scalable graphene device manufacturing.

The PMF2000 builds on Paragraf’s existing GFET technology, retaining its hallmark contamination-free graphene while introducing production on six-inch silicon wafers. This transition is enabled by the company’s new large-wafer manufacturing facility in Huntingdon - described as the world’s first graphene foundry. The move to larger wafers improves device yield and consistency, setting a new benchmark for quality and enabling reliable high-volume production.

In November 2024, Australia-based Adisyn acquired Israel-based 2D Generation,which specializes in graphene-based solutions for semiconductors. Today the company which is trading in the Australian stock exchange, announced that it has completed a heavily oversubscribed $10 million AUD placement (about $6.3 million USD).

Adisyn says that the new funds will used to used to accelerate the development of its graphene-enhanced semiconductor technologies.

Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology and China's Tianjin University have created a novel functional semiconductor made from graphene, potentially opening the door to various next-gen electronics. 

This discovery comes at a time when silicon, the material from which nearly all modern electronics are made, is reaching its limit in the face of increasingly faster computing and smaller electronic devices. The semiconductor made from graphene is compatible with conventional microelectronics processing methods – a necessity for any viable alternative to silicon.

The European Commission (EC) has announced a €20 million investment in the next generation of electronics and semiconductors. The 2D Experimental Pilot Line (2D-EPL) was officially launched as the first graphene foundry to integrate graphene and layered materials into semiconductor platforms. The new project aims to keep Europe at the forefront of this technological revolution.

Born within the EU-funded project, the Graphene Flagship, the 2D-EPL will cover the entire value chain, from tool producers and chemical and material providers to manufacturing lines. This collaborative project will integrate several Graphene Flagship members to pioneer the fabrication of new prototype electronics, photonic devices and sensors integrating graphene and layered materials.

Scientist from the University of Wisconsin-Madison are working towards making more powerful computers a reality. To that end, they have devised a method to grow tiny ribbons of graphene directly on top of silicon wafers. Graphene ribbons have a special advantage over graphene sheets - they become excellent semiconductors.

Graphene nanoribbons on silicon wafers could help lead the way toward super fast computer chips. Image courtesy of Mike Arnold

Compared to current technology, this could enable faster, low power devices, says Vivek Saraswat, a PhD student in materials science and engineering at UW-Madison. It could help you pack in more transistors onto chips and continue Moore’s law into the future. The advance could enable graphene-based integrated circuits, with much improved performance over today’s silicon chips.

Researchers from Göttingen and Pasadena (USA) have produced an "atomic scale movie" showing how hydrogen atoms chemically bind to graphene in one of the fastest reactions ever studied. The team found that by adhering hydrogen atoms to graphene, a bandgap can be formed.

The hydrogen atom (blue) hits the graphene surface (black) and forms a bond with a carbon atom (red). The high energy of the hydrogen atom is first absorbed by neighboring carbon atoms (orange and yellow) and then passed on to the graphene as a sound wave

The research team bombarded graphene with hydrogen atoms. "The hydrogen atom behaved quite differently than we expected," says Alec Wodtke, head of the Department of Dynamics at Surfaces at the Max Planck Institute (MPI) for Biophysical Chemistry and professor at the Institute of Physical Chemistry at the University of Göttingen. "Instead of immediately flying away, the hydrogen atoms 'stick' briefly to the carbon atoms and then bounce off the surface. They form a transient chemical bond," Wodtke exclaims. Something else also surprised the scientists: The hydrogen atoms have a lot of energy before they hit the graphene, but not much left when they fly away. It seems that hydrogen atoms lose most of their energy on collision, but where it goes remained to be examined.

Researchers at Columbia Engineering, working with colleagues from Princeton and Purdue Universities and Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, have engineered "artificial graphene" by recreating, for the first time, the electronic structure of graphene in a semiconductor device.

Etched pillars define the positions of quantum dots (red puddles) arranged in an hexagonal lattice. When the spacing between the quantum dots is sufficiently small, electrons can move between them.

Graphene comes in one atomic arrangement: the positions of the atoms in the graphene lattice are fixed, and so all experiments on graphene must adapt to those constraints. On the other hand, in artificial graphene the lattice can be engineered over a wide range of spacings and configurations, making it convenient for condensed researchers because it will have more versatile properties than the natural material.

Researchers at MIT have developed a technique that uses graphene as a kind of copy machine, to transfer intricate crystalline patterns from an underlying semiconductor wafer to a top layer of identical material.

As a great deal of money is spent in the semiconductor industry on wafers that serve as the substrates for microelectronics components, which can be turned into transistors, light-emitting diodes etc., this method may help reduce the cost of wafer technology and enable devices made from more exotic, higher-performing semiconductor materials than conventional silicon.

Last month we asked several graphene experts about their thoughts on the commercial potential of CVD as a graphene production process. This interesting discussion led to my talk with Jesus de la Fuente, Graphenea's Founder & CEO.

Graphenea is one of the world's leaders in CVD graphene, and Jesus kindly agreed to update us on his thoughts on CVD and the recent advances made at Graphenea.