System Bits: Oct. 22


Untangled nanotubes Carbon nanotubes are lightweight, strong and conduct electricity, which make them ideal components in new electronics devices, such as tablet computers and touchscreen phones, but cannot be used without being separated out from their natural tangled state. Researchers from Imperial College London have developed a way to unravel and apply carbon nanotubes in the laboratory a... » read more

Brother, Can You Spare An Electron?


Every now and then in semiconductor design we come to a crossroads where we have to start thinking about problems differently. At 10nm we will be forced to do that again. The problem—or opportunity, depending on your vantage point—this time involves electrons. While they’ve become increasingly difficult to manage in ever-thinner wires, where RC delay is producing unwanted heat, and in ... » read more

Extending Moore’s Law


By Ann Steffora Mutschler For Moore’s Law to perpetuate, the materials used in semiconductor manufacturing must do their part to allow the scaling of devices to occur. Some of the latest include a carbonless film deposition technology for 20nm transistors and smaller, a plastic memory device and a material compound of silicon, copper, nickel and iron that researchers believe could lower manu... » read more

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