Chasing After Carbon Nanotube FETs

&gt;The big difference is the channel, which allows electrons to flow from the source to the drain. In today’s transistors, the channel is based on silicon. In contrast, a carbon nanotube FET makes use of a fixed number of tiny and parallel nanotubes for the channels, each measuring 1nm in diameter. Leveraging the properties of these materials, carbon nanotube transistors exhibit high mobilities at low power.<p>vacuum channel is even better - 460GHz with existing technology <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.extremetech.com&#x2F;extreme&#x2F;185027-the-vacuum-tube-strikes-back-nasas-tiny-460ghz-vacuum-transistor-that-could-one-day-replace-silicon-fets" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.extremetech.com&#x2F;extreme&#x2F;185027-the-vacuum-tube-s...</a>

I studied FETs, BJTs, and diodes for a year for my engineering degree, so I can mostly read and understand this article.<p>I don&#x27;t understand a few things.<p>Some carbon is put into a furnace with an inert gas, and the output is a bunch of nanotubes. Some conduct like metal, so they can&#x27;t be used as transistors. Others have a band gap, and these can. I guess it&#x27;s something to do with the lattice orientation.<p>Now, imagine that I had a bunch of straws, and a block with straw slots on the top. I can think of no way to randomly disperse the straws over the block to get perfect alignment.<p>Somehow, the straws end up with good connections to a source and drain, ready for a gate to be wrapped around them.<p>Deposition of the straws on the substrate appears to be performed both in gaseous and liquid, but the straws must be made elsewhere.<p>This is completely mistifying.

FET = field-effect transistors