News IBM creates first 9nm carbon nanotube transistor

IBM researchers have built the first carbon nanotube-based transistor under 10nm.

http://www.bit-tech.net/news/2012/01/30/ibm-carbon-nanotube/1

 

Meh, they have a vested interest in keeping silicon - I doubt that their existing fabs could easily transition to carbon nanotubes.

 

While you have a point bede, they will also be aware that they need to move to carbon or be stuck with a technology that will shortly be end of life. They have known for a while silicon is problematic at the current size. Moving to carbon will give them a significantly better and longer future.

 

Developing <10nm in size transistors is a great acomplishment and should be applauded - kudos to you all for that achievement.

I'd like to see some active competition in large scale manufacturing, this one has the potential to be just that - in reality how far away are we from seeing this in mass production? 10years?

If we are looking at 14nm fabs in just two years based on silicone and the new Tri Gate designs, 10nm should effectively be just 4 or at maximum 6 years away - better get a shift on Carbon Nanotubes.

 

Great stuff IBM - Now let's see some actual working prototypes of complex chips!

Be interesting to see if the changes in manufacturing process actually yield the purported benefits calculated from "simple" models used in the lab, or even if this can be developed into a mass production process...

 

@ Bede: They must re-tool their fab facilities each time they move to a smaller manufacturing process anyway. The main difference will be in utilising the old equipment when they move on (which typically goes from creating state-of-the-art CPU's to chipsets, and other control IC's and older CPU designs). But this process in fact will help the adoption further down the line.

Brief on what I mean.

Equipment used for fabrication:
Current: CPU 22nm > Chipset 32nm > Chipset / other 45nm
Future: CPU 9nmCNT > Chipset 22nm > Chipset / other 32nm
Future 1: CPU 7nmCNT > Chipset 9nmCNT > Chipset / other 22nm

I used 7nm as an example, I do not know what node they could use beyond 9nm CNT.

 

Had to come up with something new, can only shrink silicon so far.

Bring on faster, cooler chips