For those wondering what tech companies may be up to in the future about smartphones, bendable displays should be next. Recently, there has been growing interest over the use of graphene technology. According to recent reports, the material can be used to develop and produce foldable screens without sacrificing the quality. Samsung has already published a study about graphene production. This time, Apple appears to be following in Samsung's footsteps.
Apple and Samsung have long been rivals it should not be a surprise that if Samsung started working on graphene, Apple will look into it as well. According to a report by Personal Finance Hub, Samsung is gunning for the release of a breakthrough smartphone featuring graphene. It appears the Korean tech giant is banking on the material to help it revolutionize and set the standard for the smartphone industry.
Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology published study results indicating graphene's better electron mobility compared to the widely used silicon. The main challenge however is to produce graphene transistors in mass quantity. Previous processes affected graphene's conducting ability hindering it from reaching the market or getting commercialized. Samsung's study notes a new way to produce graphene allowing the company to produce it in larger quantities. As the company published in its page:
"By re-engineering the basic operating principles of digital switches, Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology has developed a device that can switch off the current in graphene without degrading its mobility. The demonstrated graphene-silicon Schottky barrier can switch current on or off by controlling the height of the barrier. The new device was named Barristor, after its barrier-controllable feature."
Apple Insider pointed out that if graphene makes it to the commercial market, its first manifestation would be through touch screens. Michael Patterson, head of Graphene Frontiers, shared with Fortune about the great potential of graphene sheet and films in electronics. Nonetheless, it will still take tech companies some time to incorporate it fully in their offerings.
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