The Battle for Nanometers or the Battle for Big Headlines

Reality

Everyone who is at least somehow interested in microelectronics (or nanoelectronics) has heard that specialists in this field operate with nanometers. A nanometer is a measure of length, more precisely 1 meter divided by 1000000000. For comparison, the diameter of a human hair is from approximately 1 meter divided by 10000.

The main building block of a microcircuit is a transistor. A transistor is an active element of an electrical circuit that helps to remember, calculate, and so on. Semiconductor manufacturers say something like we use 10nm technology. What does it mean? Does this mean that the size of transistors has reached several tens of nanometers?

The x-nanometer technology means that not the transistor itself, but only part of it, has such dimensions. Traditionally, the channel was measured. A channel is an active region in which current flows (if the transistor is open) or no current flows (if the transistor is closed). However, today, when we read the headlines about the introduction of 5nm technology, it is no longer just a channel. It may be some other length that marketers considered necessary to measure. We do not name famous companies. But if you take a closer look, the performance of 22 nm technologies will not differ from that of competitors’ 10 nm technologies.

Future

There are two development paths. The first way is to leave traditional technologies. For example, an analog-to-digital converter in a charger does not require super nanometer technology. Much of the electronics will function on a large scale.

The second way is the search for new physical principles of functioning. For example, the elements of memory dare one technology to another. Yesterday, the main principle of operation was the magnetoresistive effect. Today, modern memory uses magnetic tunnel junctions with various types of switching from logical one to logical zero.

Spin-polarized current or spin-orbit torque effect are all new phenomena that have already been introduced into production. These are quantum mechanical phenomena that make it possible to increase the efficiency of the crystal square.

This arms race is taking place between scientific centers. One of the main research direction is technological process. For example, a microcircuit is drawn using radiation through special templates. There is a size limit that can be drawn.

Materials is another area that is actively developing. Silicon is the main material of the electronic world. Analogues are selected, but they are either expensive or have disadvantages that cannot yet be overcome. For example, the some necessary physical phenomena can only be observed at low temperatures (below room temperature). This hinders development.

A completely different non-tech battle is going on between marketing departments. This is where headlines win. And while this battle is the most effective. The costs of new technologies are gigantic, and the creative ideas of marketing specialists are much cheaper.

by Andiy Domane

CounselSenses