IBM's 2nm wafer - thoughts?
by business_kid from LinuxQuestions.org on (#5HJC5)
https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-57009930
Apparently IBM have made a 2nm wafer (of ICs) in their lab. That is not 7nm, not 5nm, but 2nm.
The breakthrough is remarkable, if it's real. The problem was that a FET consists of an 'N' or 'P' doped conductive channel, with (at 7nm) gate material of the opposite polarity all around the channel. So your N channel FET would have a P doped gate, or vice versa for the P channel devices. There must be complete insulation between gate and channel.
At the point where N meets P, insulation was insufficient, electrons would get through, and all hell would break loose. That problem blocked progress. Everyone was stuck on this issue. If IBM get this on an industrial scale, IBM have leapfrogged generations of devices and it is really huge news.
They are quoting 45% performance increase and 75% less power consumption in comparison to today's devices. In fact, if manufacturing at 2nm was mastered, every chip on the market today would suck, and everything not on 5/7nm would become obsolete. Watch for politics getting in here, as this is a US breakthrough. It offers the chance to the US to lock out Russia & China, until they hack their way in. :rolleyes:
Any reflections?
Apparently IBM have made a 2nm wafer (of ICs) in their lab. That is not 7nm, not 5nm, but 2nm.
The breakthrough is remarkable, if it's real. The problem was that a FET consists of an 'N' or 'P' doped conductive channel, with (at 7nm) gate material of the opposite polarity all around the channel. So your N channel FET would have a P doped gate, or vice versa for the P channel devices. There must be complete insulation between gate and channel.
At the point where N meets P, insulation was insufficient, electrons would get through, and all hell would break loose. That problem blocked progress. Everyone was stuck on this issue. If IBM get this on an industrial scale, IBM have leapfrogged generations of devices and it is really huge news.
They are quoting 45% performance increase and 75% less power consumption in comparison to today's devices. In fact, if manufacturing at 2nm was mastered, every chip on the market today would suck, and everything not on 5/7nm would become obsolete. Watch for politics getting in here, as this is a US breakthrough. It offers the chance to the US to lock out Russia & China, until they hack their way in. :rolleyes:
Any reflections?