Originally published January 2 2006
Intel developing technology to increase processing speed
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Intel is developing a transistor that could increase processing speed by 50 percent by using different materials like indium antimonide. Intel hopes to make chips with the new transistors in about 10 years.
Intel said Tuesday it's developing a transistor technology that could increase processing speed by 50 percent while using one-tenth the power needed by transistors in an Intel chip on the market today.
The chip, which would use new materials allowing electronics to travel faster through transistors, may become the foundation for chips a decade from now, the world's largest chip maker said.
Researchers at the chip giant and QinetiQ, based in the United Kingdom, have worked about three years on the project to create a prototype transistor that would improve chip performance while using less energy.
"We are excited about the result," said Rob Willoner, technology analyst at Intel's technology and manufacturing group.
The more transistors are packed on a piece of silicon, the faster and more powerful is the integrated circuit.
Intel and the entire chip industry has been pursuing Moore's Law--named after Intel co-founder Gordon Moore--that predicts the possibility of doubling the number of transistors on a chip every year.
But shrinking and packing on more transistors, the traditional way of improving chip performance, has led to electricity current leakage problems.
Intel and other chip companies, including Advanced Micro Devices and IBM, are studying new materials and designs that would reduce power use while still improving performance.
Suman Datta, a senior researcher at Intel, will present a technical paper on the transistor project at the IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting in Washington, D.C.
Currently, silicon is the dominant material for making semiconductors.
But to achieve high performance and energy efficiency, researchers used indium antimonide for the channel portion of the transistor.
The difference means the two materials don't fit well together, and a thin layer of buffer would be added to connect the two, Mr. Willoner said.
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