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nanotimes Companies

11-04 :: April/May 2011

Chips // Intel Reinvents Transistors Using New 3-D Structure

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ntel Corporation announced a significant break- through in the evolution of the transistor. For the

first time since the invention of silicon transistors over 50 years ago, transistors using a three-dimensional structure will be put into high-volume manufacturing. Intel will introduce a revolutionary 3-D transistor de- sign called Tri-Gate, first disclosed by Intel in 2002, into high-volume manufacturing at the 22-nano- meter (nm) node in an Intel chip codenamed “Ivy Bridge.”

“Intel‘s scientists and engineers have once again reinvented the transistor, this time utilizing the third dimension,” said Intel President and CEO Paul Otel- lini. “Amazing, world-shaping devices will be created from this capability as we advance Moore‘s Law into new realms.”

Intel‘s 3-D Tri-Gate transistors enable chips to ope- rate at lower voltage with lower leakage, providing an unprecedented combination of improved perfor- mance and energy efficiency compared to previous state-of-the-art transistors. The capabilities give chip designers the flexibility to choose transistors targeted for low power or high performance, depending on the application.

The 22nm 3-D Tri-Gate transistors provide up to 37% performance increase at low voltage versus Intel‘s 32nm planar transistors. This incredible gain means that they are ideal for use in small handheld

devices, which operate using less energy to „switch“ back and forth. Alternatively, the new transistors con- sume less than half the power when at the same per- formance as 2-D planar transistors on 32nm chips.

“The performance gains and power savings of Intel‘s unique 3-D Tri-Gate transistors are like nothing we‘ve seen before,” said Mark Bohr, Intel Senior Fellow. “This milestone is going further than simply keeping up with Moore‘s Law. The low-voltage and low-power benefits far exceed what we typically see from one process generatio n to the next. It will give product designers the flexibility to make current de- vices smarter and wholly new ones possible. We be- lieve this breakthrough will extend Intel‘s lead even further over the rest of the semiconductor industry.”

The 3-D Tri-Gate transistors are a reinvention of the transistor. The traditional „flat“ two-dimensional pla- nar gate is replaced with an incredibly thin three-di- mensional silicon fin that rises up vertically from the silicon substrate. Control of current is accomplished by implementing a gate on each of the three sides of the fin – two on each side and one across the top -- rather than just one on top, as is the case with the 2-D planar transistor. The additional control enables as much transistor current flowing as possible when the transistor is in the „on“ state (for performance), and as close to zero as possible when it is in the „off“ state (to minimize power), and enables the transistor to switch very quickly between the two states (again,