Carbon as an electronics material

Carbon is as natural an electronic material as silicon, and it has also the advantages that come from the multiplicity of forms available. We concentrate on the properties and potential uses of carbon in nanotubes, polymers and composites of the two. Unlike silicon, organic molecules can produce light of almost any wavelength and also multiple wavelengths including white. It is likely to be used initially for LCD backplanes. Nanotubes have shown potential for use in cold cathodes. Progress towards using them in displays is slow. However, commercial use in microwave resonators seems to be imminent. There has been substantial progress in understanding the use of conjugated polymers in photovoltaics, where polymer composites with nanotubes or blends of organic semiconductors promise to continue progress to greater efficiency and cost effectiveness. The understanding of fundamental processes has yet to develop to a point where it is of direct value to electronics. Simplifications based on semi-classical device physics appear to be able to short circuit these difficulties.