|
Law breakers
|
25/07/2006
|
| |
Research and development is fundamental to any industry. But electronics can be singled out for one good reason: much of the R&D work is taking the Laws of Physics on squarely.
Moore’s Law set the industry on this course some 40 years ago, when Gordon Moore predicted the number of transistors on a chip would double every 12 months. Ever since, the next process technology node has been approximately 0.7 (1/v2) of the existing one, because Moore’s Law is area based.
So 90nm production is being superseded by 65nm and so on. All very well, but these dimensions are substantially smaller than the wavelength of the light used to create them. Currently, manufacturers are coping with the problem, but not for much longer.
This means there has been a lot of work in developing lithographic technologies. So it’s no surprise that breakthroughs have been made – and strategies changed.
|
| |
Author
Graham Pitcher
|
| |
| |
|
This material is protected by Findlay Publications copyright 2008.
See Terms and Conditions.
One-off usage is permitted but bulk copying is not.
For multiple copies contact the sales team.
|
| |
|
| Email this article |
| |
|
|
|
|