Electronics Production |
IBM brings nature to computer chip manufacturing
IBM has announced the first-ever application of a breakthrough self-assembling nanotechnology to conventional chip manufacturing, borrowing a process from nature to build the next generation computer chips.
The natural pattern-creating process that forms seashells, snowflakes, and enamel on teeth has been harnessed by IBM to form trillions of holes to create insulating vacuums around the miles of nano-scale wires packed next to each other inside each computer chip.
In chips running in IBM labs using the technique, the researchers have proven that the electrical signals on the chips can flow 35 percent faster or consume 35 percent less energy compared to the most advanced chips using conventional techniques.
