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Electronic engineers eying nanotechnology to replace silicon chips
In their never ending pursuit of designing faster circuit boards, electronic engineers are eying Nanotechnology for developing what could become the basis for computers and other consumer products. Stanford University electrical and electronics engineering graduate student Max Shulaker spends much of his free time in laboratories, producing the smallest computer circuits in the world. His dedication to his craft is evident, as Shulaker performs the entire process by hand, The New York Times reports.
Shulaker and his colleagues at the California engineering and science powerhouse are working on a system they hope will one day be installed in the world's fastest supercomputers. The custom manufacturing process is demanding and tedious, but if successful it could help significantly increase computers' processing speed.
Researchers across the world are working on similar designs as they endeavor to overcome the constraints on chip speed. Moore's Law, posited by Intel cofounder Gordon Moore, states that the number of transistors incorporated in a chip will roughly double every 24 months. The principle has held true for more than four decades, but Technology is approaching atomic dimensions, and engineers are facing substantial hurdles on the path toward improved functionality, speed and efficiency.
Intel researchers successfully created a 3-D chip this year that features a microscopic plane that juts out from the base of the silicon surface, allowing for the placement of billions of tiny switches on a microprocessor. However, some electrical engineers argued the setup is not optimal, and that an improved technique could result in not only additional switches, but also enhanced functionality.
Nonetheless, a growing number of engineers affirm silicon will not be the preferred base of chip technology in the future, according to The Times. Instead, many scientists have focused their research on the development of circuits on the molecular scale.
At Stanford, Shulaker works under former Intel engineer Subhasish Mitra in the Robust Systems Group. Their research is indicative of the trend toward molecular scale technology, as they are working to make a carbon nanotube field effect transistor (CNFET). In their intensive research, the Stanford engineers first grow carbon nanotubes measuring only 12 atoms in width .
The carbon nanotubes are then covered in a delicate layer of gold before Shulaker and fellow researchers use a piece of tape to pick them up, carefully transferring them to a silicon wafer. Unlike in traditional manufacturing in which circuits are carved by light waves, the carbon nanotubes serve as the basis of the researchers' chips.
The novel technique is currently time consuming, but if it is successful it could be drastically improved, according to Shulaker. Thus far, the engineers affirmed that they have created nanocircuits that are smaller and substantially more powerful than current models. Major industry players such as International Business machine (IBM) and Intel are hopeful that nanotechnology can help scientists to solve the silicon quandary, IBM research director Supratik Guha said.
"We're exploring this very seriously," he asserted. "We feel that if we can place carbon nanotubes a couple of nanometers apart, they will outperform silicon."
The fate of multiple industries is reliant on such an advancement. For example, Apple releases new iterations of its popular laptop and desktop computers every 18 months or so, as new chip technology is available. Silicon chip technology, however, is approaching a threshold in terms of doubling capacity and performance. If it cannot offer consumers products that are superior to older models, it risks a slowdown in sales. The same is true for Apple's myriad competitors.
As they strive to develop the next generation of chips, engineers are betting nanotechnology can accomplish what silicon no longer can.
