Chips that are still smaller, more powerful and use even
less energy than those already in the pipeline today are the focus
of a collaborative research project launched by the European
Commission.
The European project, called NANOCMOS, aims to pioneer changes
in materials, processes, device architectures and interconnections
that will push the limits of semiconductor performance and density
even further.
Under the initiative, researchers will focus on next-generation
CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) technology,
beginning with the 45-nanometer chip production process and
extending to 32- and 22-nanometer processes.
CMOS technology - the most widely used integrated circuit design
- is found in almost every electronic product, ranging from
handheld devices to mainframe computers.
The commission has agreed to provide seed capital of €24m for
the collaborative research project, which will provide the
technological basis for later competition. Participating chip
makers and research institutes are expected to match this
amount.
In the first phase of the project, expected to last 27 months,
researchers will demonstrate the feasibility of 45-nanometer CMOS
logic technology. The goal is to develop an static Ram chip made
using the technology by 2005.
During the first phase, researchers will also begin research
activities on 32- and 22-nanometer CMOS technologies.
The second phase of the NANOCMOS project, starting in 2006, will
then demonstrate the feasibility of the 32- and 22-nanometer chip
production processes. The goal is to develop chips using these
technologies as early as 2007.
The plan also calls for this phase to become part of the Medea+
(Microelectronics Development for European Applications) project, a
Europe-wide initiative focused on pre-competitive research in the
area of semiconductors.
By 2006, the consortium of companies and research institutes in
the NANOCMOS project hopes to use 45-nanometer technology in an
industrial 300mm in Crolles, France.
The wafer fab, called Crolles2, is operated by Philipsand
STMicroelectronics - both members of the NANOCMOS project - as well
as Motorola.
Other members of the project include Infineon Technologies,
eight research labs co-ordinated by the French National Scientific
Research Centre and another three by the German research institute
Fraunhofer Gesellschaft.
The commission has listed a total of 12 organisations in the
research initiative and expected more to sign up.
John Blau writes for IDG News Service