Isotropic Silicon?

jmichaelg asks: "The Register ran this story on isotropic silicon. Among the claims for isotropic silicon is that with a more homogenous lattice, heat is more evenly distributed. That means processors can reach higher speeds simply by being manufactured using isotropic silicon wafers. There's a sidebar at The Register about 1.7 Ghz Athlons manufactured with this stuff. According to the manufacturer's FAQ, isotropic silicon is produced chemically. Is this possible? I thought isotopes were chemically identical and differed only in the number of neutrons they have. Is this real or is it marketing froth?"

Comments

An r makes a difference

[dzipi]

There is a difference between isotopic and isotropic. Isotopes are variants of an atom. If I remember wel being isotropic is a property of the crystal lattice atoms are placed in. It means some other property is independent of its relation to the direction of the crystal axes. Isotropic means "the same in all directions", I believe.