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Taking Transistors Into a New Dimension


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An artist's representation of the 3D nanometric transistor

The development of a 3D nanometric transistor could herald the miniaturization of electronic components further than previously thought possible, while significantly increasing their power.

Credit: the Engineer

Researchers from the Laboratory for Analysis and Architecture of Systems and IEMN say they have built the first 3D nanometric transistor.

The development could enable electronic components to be miniaturized further than previously thought possible while significantly increasing the power of microelectronic devices.

The 3D transistor consists of a tight vertical nanowire array of about 200 nm in length linking two conductive surfaces. A chromium gate of 14 nm in length surrounds each nanowire and controls the flow of current in the transistor's channels at the level of contemporary microelectronics.

The researchers say microprocessors could be developed in which the transistors are stacked together, and the number in a given space could be considerably increased along with the performance capacity of microprocessors and memory units. They also say the components would be relatively easy to manufacture and do not require high-resolution lithography.

From CNRS
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Abstracts Copyright © 2013 Information Inc., Bethesda, Maryland, USA


 

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