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IMEC, Riber collaboration bridges silicon, compound gap |
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May 31, 2006 at 03:06 PM |
Sometimes the silicon and compound semi folks seem far apart, rather than just different types of chipmakers using different types of substrates.
Other times, crossover technologies and techniques bring them as close as the next molecule. There are, and will be many more, opportunities for interdisciplinary learning between the two camps.
A recently announced joint program between IMEC, the Belgian micro/nano research center, and Riber, a molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) toolmaker, augurs well for less wheel reinvention in the chipmaking universe. And it could have significant ramifications for the extension of CMOS to the 22 nm generation and beyond.
Riber's MBE cluster at IMEC will allow the center and its core industrial partners to investigate the integration of germanium and III-V materials into advanced CMOS flows. Germanium could be a good replacement for planar silicon, since it has higher mobility and lower intrinsic gate delay characteristics than its more ubiquitous cousin. Doing this while using a standard silicon line with CMOS tooling is a bonus. Of course, trying to improve the forever-growing-tinier-and-more-fragile gate stacks on Ge and other III-V materials won't be easy.
With what seems like half the elements in the periodic table being researched for possible introduction into the fab, with many already in the development and pilot pipelines, more collaboration between the silicon and compound sectors is inevitable--and welcome.
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