Toshiba, Samsung unveil advanced chip progress
Toshiba Corp. and Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. have both unveiled progress they are making in independent research projects aimed at realizing chips that are two generations down the line from today's most advanced semiconductors.
The work is targeting chips which have features as small as 45 nanometers across. In comparison, the most advanced of today's chips are produced using a 90-nanometer process and production at the next step technology of 65 nanometers is not expected by chip makers to begin until 2005 at the earliest.
Each generational jump in technology typically allows chip makers to build more advanced semiconductors that pack more processing power in a smaller package and consume less energy. For this reason, progress in manufacturing technology is a vital part of realizing faster, smaller and cheaper chips and ultimately the products in which they are used.
The first of Toshiba's announcements detailed development of a high performance metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET). The transistor uses a new gate-oxide technology to combat current leakage, which is expected to become more of a problem in future chips because they use less power. The Tokyo company also said it has developed a multi-layer wiring technology suitable for use in chips made with a 45-nanometer process.
South Korea's Samsung Electronics said it had developed a three-dimensional transistor process technology for 50-nanometer production.
Both companies announced their progress on Wednesday after papers were presented on Tuesday at the 2004 Symposium on VLSI Technology, which is taking place from June 15 to 17 in Hawaii.
Earlier this year Toshiba and Sony Corp. agreed to pool resources on development of 45 nanometer chip technology. The developments announced in Hawaii were achieved by Toshiba prior to the start of the joint development work but are now being used as part of the project, said Makoto Yasuda, a spokesman for Toshiba in Tokyo.
IDG News Service
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