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Scientific American on 3-D Chips

Posted by michael on from the tower-of-babel dept.

m5shiv writes: "Scientific American is running a feature on 3-D Memory Chips. These devices look like they will significantly reduce the cost of PDA's and other handheld devices as well as replacing analog film. By stacking devices vertically, density goes up considerably. The company, Matrix Semiconductor, appears to have some very interesting investors such as Kodak, Sony and Microsoft."

2 of 138 comments (clear)

  1. Heat Dissipation by UVaRob · · Score: 3, Interesting

    The article talked about how heat dissipation will be impaired by the 3-D structure (obviously, when you increase volume relative to surface area.) Maybe in years to come we'll see some sort of chip/heatsink integration to channel heat directly from the interior of the 3d structure to the outside by the heatsink rather than the normal dissipation through the chip.

  2. Ending up down the wrong path by snatchitup · · Score: 3, Interesting

    At first reading this technology seems like it has a future, in that, sure it's early in its infancy, but somebody will come along and make it work.

    But what we're really talking about is not 3-D, it's just stacked 2-D. In fact technically, all computer chips are 1-D.

    Because of the limitation of the fact that the Silicon crystal needs to be monolithic, that is, a lattice of atoms completely ordered throughout the chip we've got to think outside the box, this guy's inside the box, but realistically, this is to save money, and he wants to see something before his great grand kids are born.
    The heart of the problem is the crystal flat surface. What we need is a crystal that grows out and up in such as manner as to be a monolithic latice but also compartmentalized. A cube, with little windows and rooms and holes so that the dope can get in.

    Completely revolutionized fabrication thinking. We'll see it in less than 50 years.