IBM Heralds 3-D Chip Breakthrough

David Kesmodel from WSJ writes to let us know about an IBM breakthrough: a practical three-dimensional semiconductor chip that can be stacked on top of another electronic device in a vertical configuration. Chip makers have worked for years to develop ways to connect one type of chip to another vertically to reduce size and power use. The IBM technique of "through-silicon vias" offers a thousand-fold reduction in connector length and a hundred-fold increase in connector density. The new chips may appear in cellphones and other communication devices as soon as next year. PhysOrg has more details.

Comments

Too hot? Wear a sweater.

[epine]

Quite funny to perfect this now, with thermal considerations already dominating chip design costs. A nice little bit of space saving if it pans out for the super-compact, low-power cellphone market. For any other application, pretty much worthless. It might have some applications at the high end to increase supercompting bandwidth for systems where the half the cost is the cooling system. After the planet runs out of refinable bauxite, some prime locations with fat connections to the hydro grid would become available for server centers based on this technology.