3d transistors set to save power, boost performance
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Intel has announced that it will use 3d transistors in volume manufacture at the 22nm node. The Tri-Gate transistor design, first discussed by Intel in 2002, will be used in the Ivy Bridge microprocessor, which will be production ready by the end of 2011.
In the Tri-Gate transistor, the planar gate found in current transistors is replaced with a vertical fin. Current is controlled by putting a gate on each side of the fin and one across the top. This is said to allow as much transistor current to flow as possible when the transistor is 'on' and as little as possible when it is 'off'. It also enables rapid switching.
"Intel's scientists and engineers have, once again, reinvented the transistor, this time using the third dimension," said Intel president and ceo Paul Otellini. "Amazing, world shaping devices will be created from this capability as we advance Moore's Law into new realms."
According to the company, the 3d Tri-Gate transistor enable chips to operate at lower voltage with lower leakage, bringing improved performance and energy efficiency. It says that, at the 22nm node, 3d transistors will bring a 37% increase in performance at low voltage compared to 32nm planar transistors. Alternatively, power consumption can be halved while maintaining the same performance.
"The performance gains and power savings of the 3-D Tri-Gate transistors are like nothing we've seen before," claimed Mark Bohr, Intel Senior Fellow. "It will give product designers the flexibility to make current devices smarter and wholly new ones possible."
