Navigation Links
Melting defects could lead to smaller, more powerful microchips
Date:5/4/2008

a chip always have some random behavior. This effect becomes pronounced at very small scales and limits the accuracy of component shapes.

"What we propose instead is a paradigm shift: Rather than struggle to improve fabrication methods, we could simply fix the defects after fabrication," said Chou. And fixing the defects could be automatic -- a process of self-perfection.

Chou's method, termed Self-Perfection by Liquefaction (SPEL), achieves this by melting the structures on a chip momentarily, and guiding the resulting flow of liquid so that it re-solidifies into the desired shapes. This is possible because natural forces acting on the molten structures, such as surface tension -- the force that allows some insects to walk on water -- smooth the structures into geometrically more accurate shapes. Lines, for instance, become straighter, and dots become rounder.

Simple melting by direct heating has previously been shown to smooth out the defects in plastic structures. This process can't be applied to a microchip, for two reasons. First, the key structures on a chip are not made of plastic, which melts at temperatures close to the boiling point of water, but from semiconductors and metals, which have much higher melting points. Heating the chip to such temperatures would melt not just the structures, but nearly everything else on the chip. Secondly, the melting process would widen the structures and round off their top and side surfaces, all of which would be detrimental to the chip.

Chou's team overcame the first obstacle by using a light pulse from so-called excimer laser, similar to those used in laser eye surgery, because it heats only a very thin surface layer of a material and causes no damage to the structures underneath. The researchers carefully designed the pulse so that it would melt only semiconductor and metal structures, and not damage other parts of the chip. The structures need to be melted for only a frac
'/>"/>

Contact: Steven Schultz
sschultz@princeton.edu
609-258-3617
Princeton University, Engineering School
Source:Eurekalert  

0

GOOD

Page: 1 2 3 4

Related biology technology :

1. Fiber-based nanotechnology in clothing could harvest energy from physical movement
2. New polymer could improve semiconductor manufacturing, packaging
3. AMDL Signs 100 Strategic Cooperation Agreements in China for Its JPGreen Clinics; Gross Sales Per Each Location Could Exceed $400,000
4. Hybrid semiconductors show zero thermal expansion; Could lead to hardier electronics
5. Multigene Test Predicts Who Could Avoid Chemotherapy Despite Positive Lymph Nodes in Early Breast Cancer
6. DelSite Nasal Powder Technology Could Reduce Recently Reported Waste in Federal Vaccine Program
7. Tethered to chip, energy supply that drives sperm could power nanobot
8. ORNL super water repellent could cause big wave in market
9. Blue dye could hold the key to super processing power
10. FED-TVs with carbon nanotube technology could supersede plasma and LCD flat screens
11. Stem Cell Breakthrough Could End Human Embryonic Experimentation
Post Your Comments:
*Name:
*Comment:
*Email:
Related Image:
Melting defects could lead to smaller, more powerful microchips
(Date:5/17/2013)... immune system identifies the transplanted organ as foreign tissue ... cells, the immune cells that mediate rejection, must first ... to migrate to the transplanted organ. In this issue ... Lakkis and colleagues at the University of Pittsburgh used ... is not required for migration. Instead, these cells must ...
(Date:5/17/2013)... New interactive learning forums ... leaders of the medical device industry at the ... expo, from June 18-20 in Philadelphia ... ) , These all-new MedTech ... practical presentations and implementable solutions on the most ...
(Date:5/17/2013)... May 17, 2013 Men’s skin is biologically ... La-roche Posay ) and has been known to react more ... men may be far from puberty, other acne causing factors ... causing breakouts, and threatening skin with unsightly acne scars. Adult ... Men’s Health on how to reduce and prevent ...
(Date:5/17/2013)... May 17, 2013 Tooth decay is an ... active signs of the disease. The World Health Organization says ... 100% of adults have cavities. What are the long-term effects ... showing a strong connection between the oral bacterial imbalance and ... disease so rampant, yet it is also 100% preventable? Answer: ...
Breaking Biology Technology:MedTech Innovate Seminars: New Interactive Learning Forums at 2013 MD&M East 2Adult Acne Treatment, Probiotic Action Shares New Insight on Why Men’s Skin Scars from Acne and How to Prevent It 2Seeing the Future: How a Revolutionary New Bacterial Screening Device Can Predict a Patient’s Future for Tooth Decay 2Seeing the Future: How a Revolutionary New Bacterial Screening Device Can Predict a Patient’s Future for Tooth Decay 3
... at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) ... expansion and collapse of thin polymer films used in ... of only a couple of nanometers, but it can ... manufacturing. The NIST measurements, detailed in a new paper,* ...
... SAN DIEGO, Dec. 12 Arena Pharmaceuticals,Inc. (Nasdaq: ... Schneider and Randall,E. Woods were appointed to its ... Arena,s seventh and eighth independent directors and bring,significant ... Arena,s board of directors. Arena,s board also appointed ...
... CropScience announced,today that its vegetable seed business Nunhems ... Based in Salinas, California, Paragon Seed,specialises in the ... with sales of US-Dollar 8.5 million 2006 [approximately ... the United States in this segment,and supplies the ...
Cached Biology Technology:New paper reveals nanoscale details of photolithography process 2Arena Pharmaceuticals Appoints Phillip M. Schneider and Randall E. Woods to Board of Directors 2Arena Pharmaceuticals Appoints Phillip M. Schneider and Randall E. Woods to Board of Directors 3Bayer CropScience's Vegetable Seed Business Nunhems Acquires US Lettuce Seed Company Paragon Seed 2Bayer CropScience's Vegetable Seed Business Nunhems Acquires US Lettuce Seed Company Paragon Seed 3
(Date:5/16/2013)... many sports players and athletes choose to wear the ... be published in Psychological Science , a journal ... may have to do with their testosterone levels. , ... of the University of Sunderland and colleagues, demonstrated that ... competitive task had higher testosterone levels than other males ...
(Date:5/16/2013)... are about 23 million years old give unprecedented ... order, one of the most species-rich groups among ... paleontologist Professor Bettina Reichenbacher from the Division of ... and Environmental Sciences at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet (LMU) in Munich ... fish fossils which they assign to the group ...
(Date:5/16/2013)... neuroscientists from Canada and around the world are ... Canadian Neuroscience Meeting will showcase the latest in ... and reveal clues to understanding the disorders that ... research, and this meeting will showcase the best ... world," says Sam David, President of the Canadian ...
Breaking Biology News(10 mins):High-testosterone competitors more likely to choose red 2Paleontology: The eloquence of the otoliths 2Paleontology: The eloquence of the otoliths 37th Annual Canadian Neuroscience Meeting, Toronto, May 20-24, 2013 2
... complex, dynamic mixture of dissolved minerals, salts, and ... difficulties in measuring its potential to contain and ... scientists employ to measure seawater are fluid, undergoing ... research techniques and instrumentation continues to evolve. ...
... The University of Nottingham have recorded the earliest evidence ... technique known as Hydropyrolysis (using hydrogen gas at high ... discovered in sedimentary rocks in Oman. The high-precision technique ... type of sponge known as Demosponges, are between 635 ...
... CHURCH, Va., Feb. 2 CSC (NYSE: ... 12 contractors awarded a Biometrics Operations and Support Services ... Biometrics Task Force (BTF). The indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract covers ... to meet the mission needs of BTF business and ...
Cached Biology News:New equation of state of seawater 2New equation of state of seawater 3Engineering technology pinpoints earliest signs of animal life 2CSC Awarded Department of Defense Biometrics Contract 2
... used with its manganese-containing reaction buffer, converts ... of short (1825 bp) interfering RNAs (siRNA) ... 1.3 units (1 l) of ShortCut RNase ... of dsRNA into siRNA suitable for RNA ...
OmniSlide Heated Wash Module. 2 independent chambers with precise temperature control from ambient of 5C to 70C. Each chamber holds 1 slide rack (20 slides). Includes 2 x Wash Sleeves, 1 x Slide R...
... effect inhibition assays, also known as CPE and ... supernatents; serum from PK studies and delivery formulations. ... as the quantity of interferon required per milliliter ... by 50%. All standards used in ...
... are cytopathic effect inhibition assays, also known as ... tissue culture supernatents; serum from PK studies and ... is defined as the quantity of interferon required ... viral infection by 50%. All standards ...
Biology Products: