LADYDRAGON.COM - Intel Announces Breakthrough in Chip Transistor Design, the TeraHertz Transitor

Thursday November 15, 2001

Intel Announces Breakthrough in Chip Transistor Design

New TeraHertz Transistor Would Usher In Much Faster, Smaller, Energy-Efficient Computers

Imagine a world in which portable computers are as small as matchbooks or worn comfortably on your body. They could even speak to you or speak another language for you. Scientists at Intel Labs believe all that's possible within the next ten years using transistors they are totally re-engineering for computer chips.

The heart of Intel's breakthrough design is a new way of making transistors, including a new class of material. These future transistors would stay cooler and waste less power as they're made smaller to create faster and faster computer chips.

Gerry Marcyk leads the team of Intel scientists working on the so-called Terahertz Transistor. "Even when turned off, transistors in today's computer chips lose current like a leaky hose loses water. That leakage causes heat. Intel's innovative design and new materials plug those holes, solving two big problems in making smaller, faster computer chips -- power leakage and excessive heat."

Intel scientists believe that by 2007 the Terahertz Transistor -- which switches on and off a trillion times a second -- may help make computing devices 10 to 15 times faster than today's most powerful computers. And they'd eat up less electricity, too.

For more information on Intel Silicon Technology Research, please reference Intel's new Silicon Showcase at www.intel.com/research/silicon.