3-D Flexible Computer Chips

Roland Piquepaille writes "Engineers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have isolated a single-crystal film of semiconductor from the substrate on which it is built. Then they transferred this very thin film — 200 nanometers thick — on plastic. Both sides of the film can host active components and several layers can be stacked, opening the way to very powerful 3-D flexible computer chips. Besides computer chips, this technique could be used for solar cells, smart cards, RFID tags or active-matrix flat panel displays."

Comments

Excellent application for cpu construction.

[plasmacutter]

Heat dissipation is a major issue in cpus.. imagine if you could integrate your cpu within the heatsink's mesh at a monocrystaline level.

It would be a revolution in cooling efficiency.

Could be used...

[QuantumG]

but won't. Call me when the technology is even remotely ready for commericalization.

Re:Asus merging with Armani?

[kfg]

$1000.00 clothing just like supermodels

You're going to look awfully silly walking around wearing nothing but one shoe.

KFG

This is new .. how?

[Bender_]

This is not new - this is known as "susbtrate transfer process" and has been practiced for year. One company doing very advanced work in this is Philips:

First two paper hits I found in google:

http://retina.et.tudelft.nl/data/artwork/publicati on/hf/ectm013.pdf
http://retina.et.tudelft.nl/data/artwork/publicati on/hf/111568631.pdf

Many companies are also working on substrate transfer processes to build silicon wafers with selective crystal orientation. Among them IBM and Soitec.

Fire

[luketheduke]

In other news Geeks overclocking clothes causes fire and personal injury.

Imagine

[cryptoluddite]

They say this can be used for solar cells too. Imagine what 300 billion dollars investment could have done to make this a reality. We're like the 3rd generation of rich kid, the one that pisses away the fortune on gambling and yahts instead of doing something productive with it.

Oh?

[SmallFurryCreature]

Well my phone does get warm if I use all its features and my iPod sure warms up when it plays video and my PSP and DS both can get a bit warm if played in their case. (Why yes I am a gadget whore)

Presumably the CPU in larger devices like my washing machine is properly placed and can use the entire body of the machine to cool it, but in general electric circuits of any kind will produce heat under load.

Saying it just PC cpu's is idiotic. All cpu's will get warm, just because some you use are small enough and cooled well enough that you don't notice it doesn't mean they won't overheat if you remove the cooling.