Intel's 3D Transistors One Step Closer to Reality

An anonymous reader writes "Reducing power consumption is the name of the game in today's semiconductors and Intel today described its tri-gate transistor technology as one of the key technologies that could free the company from the trap of thinner gate insulators and increasing current leakage. Tri-gate (three gates instead of only one) could reduce the power consumption of transistors by 35% right now and drops off-voltage - one of the main sources of current leakage - by 50%. These results are the good news. The bad news is that tri-gate won't be available until 2009."

Comments

Re:Not fully 3D

[karvind]

It is not true that they aren't working on 3D technology. It is just that they haven't figured out a mature manufacturable process. In the end, Intel is not there to push Moore's law if it doesn't have economic benefits.

In real estate business there are 3 important factors: Location, Location , Location

In semiconductor industry (which is becoming a commodity), there are 3 factors as well: Cost, Cost, Cost

You mentioned about the heat issue. Yes it is important. But no one said you can't solve it. You can have structures which can distribute heat out (e.g. heat pipes). You can also have circuit techniques which are by default more process tolerant as well as low power (eg. asynchronous circuits). Both solutions wouldn't solve the problem completely, but yes it will be a step ahead. Then why don't do it. Industry still hasn't figured out if the cost to develop these techniques will harness them enough profit as compared to pushing the conventional techniques.

Also know one said that you can't extract 1000 W/cm^2 in ICs. It will just cost quite a bit.

So yes your point is well taken, but don't undermine the industrial goals. Profit comes first.