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To make the 45 nanometer chip, Intel engineers shined ultraviolet light through a glass and chrome mask, which is a stencil that outlines where the features will be made. Because the wavelength of light used was 193 nanometers -- much larger than the chip features -- engineers had to tweak the mask design to compensate for the blurriness that can occur when the wavelength of light is larger than the mask features it passes through.
But these tricks have their limitations. As chip components become even smaller, new tactics will have to be explored. One option is extreme ultraviolet lithography, in which the wavelength of light is just 13.5 nanometers. This would allow features below 10 nanometers to be crafted. Bohr says that Intel is "still exploring different options" for photolithography to make their future chips at 32 nanometers, 22 nanometers, or smaller, and one option may include extreme ultraviolet lithography.
With Moore's Law operating in extended lifetime mode, how long can chip makers keep up the pace? Dennis Buss, vice president of silicon technology development at Texas Instruments, suspects that the technology could go on until 2015 or 2020, when 10 nanometer chip features are predicted. At that point, he says "scaling as we know it will definitely stagnate."
Guest (John Louis)
Just phenominal! Blows my mind. I started training on electron tube circuit operation and repair, and today, I'm looking at a billion transistors on a chip on the order of 10 to the minus 9th magnitude. These guys get this done soon enough, and some private organization just might be able to create systems that will go to the moom before NASA can get us back there. Should I start saving for my Lunar vacation now?
Manufacturing in the United States is in trouble. That's bad news not just for the country's economy but for the future of innovation.
This document is part of the “How-To Guide for Most Common Measurements” centralized resource portal. This tutorial provides a detailed guide for measurement and device considerations to take temperature measurements using thermocouples. Get an introduction to thermocouples, which are inexpensive sensing devices widely used with PC-based data acquisition systems. Also review some specific thermocouple examples and learn how thermocouples work and ways to integrate them into a data acquisition measurement system.
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Guest (Sensei)
Moore's Law & Mr. Subliminal
Since Moore is an Intel proponent - isn't "Moore's Law" a self fulfilling prophecy anyway? I.e. mass marketing to create expectation for nothing more... What's the true balance between business needs & progress? How long does the world need to be flat?
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Guest (John Louis)
Balance?
Business needs? or opportunities to do something one was kept from doing because technology hadn't caught up?
It amazes me how the iPod caught on so quickly, how cell phones developed from phones, to PDA's, to camera's, to video display units, to pocket sized portable computers.
Someone is waiting for the next capability to make the video telecommunication a personal business requirement. Forget the web cam on top of the computer, just use your personal TV station on your phone!
Here's my concern... couple this with the nanotech article from last week, where the nerves in a cell can act as a spring. Can these two nano technologies bring the bio-robot to life in front of our eyes? Artificial intel may not be so artificial soon.
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