Silicon Replaced, 100 GHz CPU?

[ares1214]

Hello all. Recently i was doing research into graphite, carbon fiber, and Graphene solutions. I came across 2 very interesting articles:

http://www.technologyreview.com/computing/24482/?a=f

http://www.technologyreview.com/computing/25834/?a=f

Basically, graphene is a 1 atom thick material. It can acomplish speeds up to 100 GHz with less transistors apparently, and they have gotten up to 26 GHz so far. Its also theoreticallys fairly cheap to make en masse. And 10nm! Now that should be interesting! Silicon is starting to reach its limits, and the advantages of this are fairly obvious. Its also being manufactured in high quantities, or soon to be high quantities, due to its capability to make a cheaper, better alternative to carbon fibers. This might do to the CPU what memristors might do to storage. Any thoughts on this?

 

[jimmysmitty]

This is not really new but we all know that silicon is reaching its limits. Its one of the biggest reasons as to why Intel researched pretty much every material and came out with Hafnium for its HK/MG process tech.

I highly doubt we will see silicon being completley replaced but the newer substances will be able to be melded into it much like Hafnium is right now to create even better CPUs.

But there is still the one major problem that is plauging electronics: electron migration. The closer a pathway or transistor gets to the size of an atom, the larger chance for those electrons to jump through the walls set to hold them.

Even with newer materials, the size limit will be there. The only way to get smaller in process would to be spliting the atoms of silicon or the said material and then we would all just have atomic bomb based machines.

Then again Skynet could use atom spliting PCs to take over the world.....

 

[ares1214]

HA, that should be interesting "Overclock at your own risk of Nuclear Explosion". :lol: And yes, but intels Hafnium isnt quite as good as this. Intel has been researching everything under the sun as far as things to put in there. And i believe they were saying a transition to layer it on top of a modified silicon chip, and thats how IBM was able to get it up to 26 GHz. The were estimating 100 GHz total for this process, and modifications to this process and more of this material they said they would easily be hitting 1 THz While im sure this will take a long time to hit the market, but they have already been starting mass production of this, they just firgured out how to make it 10x more concentrated than before, while IBM was using the old stuff. With this process, Rice University also found out how to make a LOT of it, not necessarily cheaply, but the startup cost is there, but they can make a LOT for very little money.

 

[hell_storm2004]

I also read an article about people trying to make use of electron movement to make processors. I'll search for the link.

Even if these go into production, it would be a long time before we see one of those in the market.

 

[ares1214]

Maybe not as long as you think. They know how to mass produce it quickly. Theres the demand. IBM already has a working model, 10nm i believe. So maybe not as long as you think.

 

[hell_storm2004]

Until we hit the saturation point of these normal chips, i don't think companies would make the jump.

I think 22nm would be the limit wouldn't it? Or they planning to make it smaller.

 

[ares1214]

Smallest ive seen is 5nm:

http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2010-08/tiny-five-nanometer-silicon-oxide-switches-could-enable-chips-keep-moores-law

They are working with the graphene like i said, this is what they are using as a silicon base it would appear.

 

[hell_storm2004]

But of course doing research and actually getting it into production is a long cycle! Remember Larabee???


I read IBM playing with electrons to make unlimited capacity/un-crashable HDD's about 3.5 years ago. But nothing came out till now.

About electron and chips:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/100623132110.htm

Quantum computing is what it is called.

 

[ares1214]

I read about these 5 yrs back.

This stuff was barely discovered 5 years ago. Atleast not at this potency and production rate. So i doubt you really read about this 5 years ago. This stuff also has the potential to more efficiently direct or stop the flow of electrons:

http://www.electroiq.com/index/display/article-display/5662503103/articles/small-times/nanotechmems/materials/graphene/2010/july/graphene-quantized-electron.html

Of course doing research and actually making it takes a long time. But IBM before put the max at 26 GHz. Now they have it at 100 GHz. They already have these things, they have more testing and production going, and it can easily be mass produced. Not much is holding them back besides themselves. But yeah, i doubt we will see this for some time.