Self Assembling Micro Chips
by
Randy Mears
The concept of nanoscale self assembly has been one of the mechanisms anticipated to be important for certain kinds of nanotechnology based manufacturing techniques. It looks like that concept is becoming a reality. The novel approach outlined in this article is characterized by a manufacturing technique that "grows" insulating air gaps as part of the microchip production process. The technique is compatible with existing manufacturing materials and facilities, and the resulting chips are 35% faster while using 15% less energy when compared to similarly scaled chips that use traditional insulators. Such self assembled insulators could show up in production chips as soon as 2009.
A related BBC Article likens this self assembling of air gap insulators to natural processes that mimic Mother Nature's method of producing the light and airy snowflake. More proof that proven processes (like Mother Nature’s best practices) are often worth leveraging. In this particular case, we get both a nanotechnology breakthrough and another positive increment for microprocessor performance.
