Yes, the board: The world’s first electric wood transistor has finally been invented

Silicon has been the material of choice for the semiconductors that power our electronic devices for decades, but gradually the physical limits of silicon are being reached. Manufacturers and designers have been searching for alternatives for some time as they are starting to question how long Moore’s Law might last. One of these alternatives is wood, according to researchers in Sweden.

Wood transistor developed

Researchers from Linköping University in Sweden and the KTH Royal Institute of Technology recently unveiled the world’s first electrical transistor made from conductive wood. While it may not perform as well as modern silicon transistors, it could theoretically help in certain areas. Isak Engquist, who took part in the research in the press release, said, “We found something unprecedented. Yes, the wood transistor is slow and cumbersome, but it works and has huge development potential.”

A previous experiment combining wood and silver produced a transistor based on ionic conduction, but when the ions run out, the transistor comes to the end of its life. On the other hand, in the new discovery made, the transistor can work continuously. For this, the researchers preferred the veinless and smooth structure of the balsa tree. Of course, some modifications were made to the resulting wood: The researchers removed the lignin from the wood, leaving only long cellulose fibers with channels where the lignin was. These channels were then filled with a conductive polymer called PEDOT:PSS, resulting in an electrically conductive wood material.

It runs at 1Hz

The resulting wooden transistor operates at 1Hz, not even that much. While it closes in about a second, it takes more than five seconds to open, which the researchers find impressive for a 1mm transistor channel. Also, the photos show that the transistor is several centimeters in diameter. For comparison, companies like TSMC currently produce 3nm semiconductors for devices with frequencies measured in MHz and GHz.

While wood will likely never play the same role as silicone or what manufacturers use as a substitute for silicone, it can be used in certain types of devices. In certain cases, it could help create biodegradable electronics that are more sustainable than silicon. One potential application could be electrochromic displays, which companies are already using in products such as smart glass, smart labels and other e-paper devices. They can perform very basic computing functions in extremely thin, flexible form factors that use very little electricity.

The research for the creation of the wood transistor could also help develop other sustainable solutions such as bioelectronics and plant-based electronics. Also, wood transistors can tolerate higher currents than typical organic transistors. On the other hand, the researchers state that they did this not for a specific application, but simply to show that they can do it.