December 15, 2021
The new VTFET technology makes it possible to further minimize the transistors and reduce their power consumption by about 85% compared to FinFET transistors of a similar size. Target: 100 billion chip transistors
Pictured above: The structure of the FinFET transistor (right) compared to the structure of the VTFET transistor
IBM and Samsung have developed a new type of transistor called Vertical Transport Field Effect Transistor – VTFET Which they believe could continue the process of minimizing chips, and provide better performance than current-generation FinFET transistors, which serve as the industry’s mainstay in manufacturing advanced components. The technology was developed at IBM’s research lab in Albany, New York, where the company’s nanotech department is located and where it has been collaborating with Samsung in the development of new chip technologies since 2011.
The main change in the structure of the transistor is the transition from horizontal production to vertical production. The FinFET transistor is essentially a horizontal transistor where the junction surrounds the gate on three sides to achieve the fast transferability of many electric charges. The VTFET transistor is built entirely in a vertical format, in which the electric charges move along the vertical axis and not along the horizontal axis. This makes it possible to reduce the dimensions of the separation partitions between adjacent transistors, thereby producing more transistors per unit area compared to FinFET technology.
In addition, the companies said that this structure makes it possible to increase the source and drain components of the transistor as needed and simplify the array of electrical conductors connecting the transistors in the chip. The result is that it will be possible to further minimize the transistors, increase the density of the transistors in the chip, and get improved performance. The two companies estimate that the VTFET transistor provides dual performance or 85% lower power consumption compared to a similarly sized FinFET transistor.
IBM said it had successfully manufactured the first chips and submitted them for evaluation to potential customers. The new announcement comes just six months after IBM, Samsung and Globalfoundries announced nanosheets technology for the production of 2-nanometer-wide transistors, which will also compete with FinFET transistors, which are now used as the main technology for manufacturing chips in advanced processes such as 14, 10 and 7 nanometers. In fact, VTFET transistors are an improvement over nanosheets technology. IBM estimates that the new technology will make it possible to produce huge chips that can reach up to 100 billion transistors in a chip.
Posted in categories: News, Semiconductors
Posted in tags: Transistor
