Tweet
A magnified look at the new Tri-Gate circuit structure.(Credit:James Martin/CNET)
SAN FRANCISCO--Intel says it's ready to put the first 3D transistor structure into high-volume production.
The structure it has invented is called Tri-Gate and will be first used in chips manufactured using the 22-nanometer process, nicknamed Ivy Bridge.
The 3D "fins" on the new Tri-Gate transistor.(Credit:James Martin/CNET)
Continuing along the path of Moore's Law would have been tough unless something changed dramatically, said Mark Bohr, Intel senior fellow at a press event at the SPUR Urban Center today.
Instead of forming the conducting channel on a planar surface, it's on three sides of a 3D "fin." The key advantage comes from the gate wrapping around the fin, said Bohr.
It allows Intel to manufacture smaller, faster, and lower-voltage chips and put them into even smaller devices.
These new chips will run at a lower voltage and with lower power leakage, which should improve both performance and energy efficiency. The 22-nm-based chips will bring a 37 percent power increase over Intel's current line of 32-nm chips, according to Intel.
Tri-Gate transistors add 2 to 3 percent cost to the production process. To accomodate the new technology, Intel will be upgrading its factories throughout this year and into 2012.
Intel has been talking about tri-gate transistors for almost a decade. Bohr said that while structure is "well-known in the industry" he believes Intel will have at least a three-year lead on competitors.
The first Ivy Bridge products will be introduced for client and server products, said Dadi Perlmutter, executive vice president and general manager of Intel's Architecture Group. He briefly demonstrated a laptop and desktop PC using Ivy Bridge chips, emphasizing their speed. Eventually they will make their way to smaller gadgets liketablets, smartphones, and embedded devices.
Intel said it would not be giving any specific dates, but said sometime in 2012 would be the first time we'd see these devices.
This post was updated at 10:17 a.m. PT.
Powered By WizardRSS.com | Full Text RSS Feed | Amazon Plugin | Hud Settlement Statement