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User: phaserbanks

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Comments · 46

  1. Re:gold is a contaminant on Research Discovery Could Revolutionize Semiconductor Manufacturing · · Score: 1

    They use electron radiation. The radiation creates defects in the crystal lattice. Those defects act as recombination centers for holes and electrons. The increased recombination rate correspondingly increases the gain of bipolar transistors.

    Like Tim the Gecko said, we're talking about carrier lifetime (Tau), not device lifetime.

  2. Re:Is gold is cheaper than silicon? on Research Discovery Could Revolutionize Semiconductor Manufacturing · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Our foundry uses 200 mm wafers. I think the cost is around $20 per wafer. I don't know, because the substrates are so cheap, they don't even charge us. Epi is a little more expensive because of the extra processing -- maybe $50.

    I imagine the cost scales with wafer diameter. 200 mm is relatively old technology.

  3. Re:gold is a contaminant on Research Discovery Could Revolutionize Semiconductor Manufacturing · · Score: 3, Informative

    Yep. Sometimes you want to introduce recombination centers to kill the lifetime. Nowadays they zap the wafer with radiation to do this.

  4. Re:What do you mean, "now" starting? on Programming — Now Starting In Elementary School · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Yup. Started BASIC in 3rd grade at public elementary school in Tampa. Fast forward today: I asked my son what they do in his computer class, and he said "we made a song in Garage Band". WTF

  5. spoiler alert?!? on Submitting "Nuking the Fridge" To Scientific Peer Review · · Score: 2

    Thanks for the spoiler, Slashdot.

    Am I the only one who hasn't watched this supposed piece of crap movie?

  6. Re:The magical ingredient on Research Promises Drastically Increased LiOn Capacity · · Score: 1

    Came here to say this. Silicon wins again.

  7. Re:Does anybody actually buy Motorola phones? on Motorola Reinvents the RAZR · · Score: 1

    Wondering this too. If I'm gonna spend this much, I want an Ice Cream Sandwich phone, not something made to run last year's software.

  8. Re:Small 3D transistors on The Transistor Wars · · Score: 1

    You were talking about integrated microchannels for cooling, right? Or through hole vias patterned into the die? That's what I'm talking about. Digging holes in the crystal and/or depositing metal both cause the wafer to warp.

  9. Re:Small 3D transistors on The Transistor Wars · · Score: 2

    synthetic diamonds

  10. Re:Small 3D transistors on The Transistor Wars · · Score: 1

    When diamond becomes as cheap and plentiful as silicon... Lots of research already into using diamond for high voltage power semiconductor devices.

  11. Re:Small 3D transistors on The Transistor Wars · · Score: 5, Interesting

    The more 3D features you pattern onto a wafer, the more mechanical stress you create. This is especially true when you integrate features with different materials and different coefficients of thermal expansion. Such features can increase the warpage and bow of the wafer to such a point, that the fabrication equipment can no longer handle the wafer. It becomes like trying to feed a potato chip into a CD changer.

    The larger the wafer, the worse this problem becomes, and today they're running very large 12" wafers that are quite sensitive to mechanical stress. Also, the SOI wafers are more prone to warpage than single crystal silicon.

    So, the *real* 3D integration you're taking about is very difficult.

  12. Re:Excuses on No Charges For Child-Whipping Judge Caught On YouTube · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Umm... call me crazy, but maybe she was retaliating for him repeatedly beating the crap out of her.

  13. real change is the mobile version on Google's New Design · · Score: 1

    the mobile site got a huge overhaul by comparison, complete with bloaty icons. just what I needed. slower load times when I open my phone's browser.

  14. Re:Is $168M the total cost or just a share? on Google Invests In World's Largest Solar Power Tower Plant · · Score: 1

    Thanks elrous0

  15. Is $168M the total cost or just a share? on Google Invests In World's Largest Solar Power Tower Plant · · Score: 1

    Curious to know the total cost of the project, i.e. dollars per Watt. The article doesn't specify whether Google is the sole investor.

  16. Re:"Only" 39 percent. on Malware Declines, Trojans Dominate · · Score: 1

    Which operating system allows this?

    Please stop blaming the O/S.

    Actually he was blaming the vendor.

    I think you missed something.

  17. Re:"Only" 39 percent. on Malware Declines, Trojans Dominate · · Score: 0

    Please stop blaming the O/S. In my experience, malware problems are 1% system + 99% uneducated user.

    I've run every version of Windows since 3.11 (and a few versions of DOS before that). Never had so much as a single malware issue. I'm sure many here would say the same.

    Maybe every O/S installer should end with an exam. If you pass the exam, you get admin. If not, you get a 1-800 number.

  18. *good* vs. *not good* on How Watchmen Killed 'R'-rated Fantasy Movies · · Score: 2

    Adult fantasy can become popular, if you don't bore people out of their chairs. Watchmen was a horribly long, boring mess. Heroes is another example. It was painful to watch the last couple seasons. Folks might consider taking notes from HBO. TrueBlood = wildly popular adult fantasy. We'll see about Game of Thrones... looks cool too.

  19. Re:Early DRAM on 'Universal' Memory Aims To Replace Flash/DRAM · · Score: 1

    Increasing the oxide layer thickness was part of the solution, but they couldn't do it with silicon dioxide. The newer deep submicron CMOS processes use metal gates (instead of polysilicon) with high-k gate dielectrics (like hafnium oxide). The thicker high-k materials reduce leakage while still allowing a low turn-on voltage for the transistors.

  20. Re:Almost as gratifying as Gorillas.bas on Angry Birds and Parabolic Instinct In Humans · · Score: 2

    I remember playing with this code as a kid. I made nuclear bananas. Good times.

  21. Re:why 13? on Stars Remain In Their Usual Places; People Panic · · Score: 2

    Nothing arbitrary? The constellations themselves are completely arbitrary constructs. There are no giant star animals in the sky -- somebody just got very creative with "connect the dots" and made them all up...arbitrarily!