Engineers Able to Make Computer Chips Faster
From Times Staff and Wire Reports
In a discovery that could greatly reduce the size and cost of computer chips, Princeton University researchers have found a fast method for printing ultra-small patterns on silicon wafers. Electrical engineer Stephen Chou and his colleagues reported in Thursday’s issue of Nature that they could make patterns with features measuring only 10 nanometers--10 millionths of a millimeter.
The method involves pressing a mold against a piece of silicon and applying a laser pulse for just 20 billionths of a second. In contrast, the current technique of etching requires 10 to 20 minutes to make a single chip.
