New York Stock Exchange: International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE: IBM) researchers have demonstrated a new approach to Carbon nanotube (CNT) technology, which could open-up the path for commercial nano-fabrication of gradually smaller, faster and more powerful integrated computer chips. It is claimed for the first time, that more than ten thousand working transistors made of nano-sized tubes of Carbon (C) have been precisely placed and tested in a single chip using standard semiconductor processes.
CNT devices have been speculated to replace and in some circumstances out-perform Silicon (Si) ‘micro’ technology enabling for further miniaturisation of computing components and leading the way for future micro-nano electronics. Spearheaded by rapid innovation in the past four decades – Si micro-processor technology has continually shrunk in size and improved in performance (as according a theory first postulated by the co-founder of Intel, Inc. – Gordon Moore). The Gordon Moore theory predicts Si transistors can be made smaller every two years and still improve in performance, but they are approaching a point of physical Si radii limitation. Si transistors are now reaching the nano-scale dimensions, which will inadvertently profit any gains in performance, due to the nature of Si and the laws of Physics. It is anticipated that within a few more generations – classical micro Si lithographic scaling and shrinkage will no longer yield the sizable benefits of lower power, lower cost and higher speed processors that the Si Valley industry has become accustomed to.
IBM from early on has realised such a technological “bottle-neck” and continued to develop innovations with respect to CNT nano-fabrication. CNT potentially represents a new class of materials whose electrical properties are more attractive than Si. The approach developed by IBM laboratories paves the way for circuit fabrication coupled with large numbers of CNT transistors at per-determined substrate positions. As stated by Supratik Guha – Director of Physical Science at IBM Research – “CNT, borne out of Chemistry, have largely been laboratory curiosities as far as micro-electronic applications are concerned. We are attempting the first steps towards a technology by fabricating CNT transistors within a conventional wafer fabrication infrastructure.” IBM’s motivation to work on CNT transistors is that at extremely small nano-scale dimensions, they can potentially out-perform transistors made from any other material. However, commercialisation challenges remain, such as requiring ultra high purity of CNT and the need for its ‘deliberate’ placement at the nano-scale. Original article available here
Alternatively could DCN Corp have a ‘natural’ nano displacement technology, which would not require ‘enforced’ placement of any nanomaterial? If so, and you believe you or your colleagues are interested in making the above a reality – please ensure to contact the company as soon as practicably possible.