Displaying items by tag: Carbon NanoTubes

Thursday, 06 December 2012 06:09

Intel rushes to 14 nm processors

cpu

Intel plans to use 14-nanometer technology in conjunction with the next generation of processors codenamed Broadwell, heirs of the 22-nanometer Haswell which is expected next year. Intel's chief for technology development, Justin Rattner, said that the development of new production technology is progressing according to the plan and that Intel is expected to use this within one to two years. He emphasized that Intel's aggressive development of new production technologies will allow an extension of Moore’s law for the next 10 years. Moore's Law says that the number of transistors and the density of transistors on chips doubles every two years.

Published in News
MonocrystallineSolarPanel

Once again it comes to carbon nanotubes and this time we find it combined with graphene [something we expect to see in CPUs soon –Ed]. Scientists have created a solar cell designed like sandwich in which the electrodes are made of graphene (a special honeycomb structure of carbon atoms just one atom thick) and carbon nanotubes. Between the electrodes there is special photoactive layer. This photoactive layer is composed of carbon molecules one nanometer in diameter. Otherwise, these molecules form a soccer ball called "buckyballs." The end result is that the whole solar cell made from carbon.

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300px-Graphen

As companies race towards smaller and faster processors they continually run into a problem. This problem is one of current leakage. As the process used to make the individual transistors shrinks current leakage grows. There have been many concepts presented to combat this leakage some of which have been successful such as AMD’s SOI (Silicon on Insulator), Intel’s High-K Metal Gate and Tri-Gate Transistors. These work fairly well down to 28nm, but start to become less efficient at 22nm and below. Most agree that to move forward with smaller transistors a new material is needed.

Published in News

300px-GraphenIntel is looking to the future even as their newest CPU, the 22nm Ivy Bridge, is taking something of a beating in the media. According to a few slides that have hit daylight Intel is already working on moving some of its FABs to 14nm in preparation for their next generation of CPUs. Of course this is not that big of a deal really, Intel has moved from one process to the next like clockwork (insert “Tick-Tock” joke here).

Published in Editorials