Intel Pushes Microprocessors Into the Third Dimension

The news is out — Intel has developed a three-dimensional approach to transistor design for microprocessors. This is an important step in microarchitecture design. Moore’s Law predicts that the number of transistors manufacturers can cram onto a one-inch silicon wafer doubles every 24 months or so. But that’s a finite amount of space and we may very well be reaching the smallest sizes possible for transistors without revolutionizing the entire classic computer model.

The problem is one of quantum mechanics. Electrons can do this wacky thing called quantum tunneling — they can spontaneously appear on the other side of a barrier under the right conditions. It all has to do with the Uncertainty Principle — we can’t be certain of an electron’s location. Essentially, that means there’s a chance that as an electron approaches a barrier — a transistor gate, for example — there’s a small chance the electron is actually on the far side of the barrier. Since there’s a chance of it happening, it sometimes happens. It sounds crazy on a classic physics level but on the quantum scale it makes sense.

So how do you keep making transistors if you start bumping into problems like quantum tunneling? Remember, transistors allow or prevent the flow of electrons — if electrons can just tunnel through the transistor gates there’s no control. If you can’t make bigger microprocessors, an alternative is to go vertical.

It’s not that different from a city that has homes that consist of multi-level flats rather than big houses. Architects arrange the living space vertically. You might have just as much space to store your stuff but you’ll be taking a lot of stairs.

With Intel processors, the secret is in a new structure called Tri-Gates. Rather than use a planar approach in which you’d find transistors laid out in a flat level, the Tri-Gates arrange transistors along three sides of fins on the transistor chip. This increases the surface area of the chip without requiring a chip with larger dimensions. Electrons pass across the three sides of the fin through gates, increasing efficiency. Intel says the chips will consume less power to produce more cycles.

I find this kind of work fascinating — discovering new ways to keep Moore’s Law going is always interesting. People have been predicting the end of Moore’s Law for decades. It fills me with glee to see these predictions fall flat year after year. And here’s a video about the new approach (thanks to Facebook follower Robert for the link):

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