Toshiba claims 16nm breakthrough

Author: Gareth Halfacree
Published: 16th June 2009
Comments (26) Stumble
Toshiba claims 16nm breakthrough

The use of strontium germanide promises to help Toshiba perfect a 16nm process size for its memory chips.

Toshiba is looking to steal a head start on its competitors with the news that the company has made a breakthrough which will see a 16nm process possible while others are still perfecting the 32nm size.

As reported over on TG Daily, the company is claiming that a breakthrough in the use of strontium germanide which allows metal-insulator-semiconductor field-effect transistors to be produced at a process size of 16nm or below – a previously challenging proposition.

The strontium germanide works as an interlayer in the silicon chips, and boost the current handling capabilities to levels that standard semiconductors can't match – allowing the chips to be shrunk beyond currently possible levels.

Although many companies are looking to strontium-based manufacturing processes as the limitations of silicon become ever more pressing, Toshiba believes it has solved one of the major implementation problems – the fabrication of a thin enough gate stack.

Although the technology is confined to the lab at present, Toshiba will be presenting a paper on its findings at the VLSI Symposia in Kyoto later this week – during which time we will, hopefully, get a hint of when the company expects to be bringing 16nm devices to market.

Looking forwards to seeing chips shrinking ever smaller, or does the future of technology lie elsewhere? Share your thoughts over in the forums.
Quote PT88 16th June 2009, 15:59
stropy germans wot?
Quote Jojii 16th June 2009, 16:46
slurpy gerbils rot?
Quote B1GBUD 16th June 2009, 17:11
surplus giblets not?
Quote Isitari 16th June 2009, 17:38
That is quite AMAZING! 16nm from 32nm that's a 50% reduction in one go!

From a Physicists perspective this is quite astounding.
Quote Ape 16th June 2009, 19:23
"Although the technology is confined to the lab at present"

When will we see the chips?

Place your bets

1 year - 100/1
2 years - 10/1
3 years - evens
Quote RotoSequence 16th June 2009, 21:30
Isitari: the reason the breakthrough is significant is not for a jump from 32nm to 16nm (the manufacturers still are planning to scale down to 22nm first), but because it was previously thought to be impossible to construct a 16nm chip using standard bulk CMOS processes that are in use across the board today, due to quantum effects. Now there is another manufacturing process breather before materials other than substrates etched on silicon are needed.
Quote Elton 16th June 2009, 22:10
i'd place my bets on 7 years, my odds of winning: 100/100000

Chance of payout: 0/0.
Quote OWNED66 16th June 2009, 22:45
That's nothing like the chips ive seen which were OVER 9000nm !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Quote sotu1 17th June 2009, 00:46
Quote:
Originally Posted by B1GBUD
surplus giblets not?

It's Stroggnium Germacide, used in Quake 4 for crafting new Stroggos fighters, duh
Quote Turbotab 17th June 2009, 01:02
IMO graphene is currently the most interesting material, as it will allow CPU designers to ramp up the GHz. Until the software devs can (if) create programs that will utilise the upcoming many core designs, more hertz, as any gamer will attest, is the way to go. Just imagine for a second, a multi-core CPU running at 10s or 100s of GHz............
Quote woodshop 17th June 2009, 03:14
Toshiba makes chips.. news to me.
Quote notatoad 17th June 2009, 03:17
the cell chip in the PS3 was partly developed by toshiba. not sure what else they're into though.
Quote Elton 17th June 2009, 03:30
Hey, Hitachi makes HDDs, and Fujitsu still lives of NAS and SAS drives.
Quote Otto69 17th June 2009, 06:13
Strontium Germanide? Sounds like something the Red Skull would be working on to kill Nick Fury with.
Quote B1GBUD 17th June 2009, 09:45
Quote:
Originally Posted by sotu1
It's Stroggnium Germacide, used in Quake 4 for crafting new Stroggos fighters, duh

I never bothered to play Q4.. as it felt very much like Doom 3, but thanks for the re-adjustment ;o)
Quote:
Originally Posted by woodshop
Toshiba makes chips.. news to me.

Toshiba is one of the world leaders in semi-conductors.
Quote Turbotab 17th June 2009, 12:12
Quote:
Originally Posted by woodshop
Toshiba makes chips.. news to me.

CMOS are also found in a wide range of products including cameras and camcorders.
Quote nicae 17th June 2009, 12:46
Toshiba is obsolete. They are making only 16nm when there is already 32nm. Two times the nm! And I want MOAR!!11
Quote mirciu 17th June 2009, 15:41
Quote:
Originally Posted by nicae
Toshiba is obsolete. They are making only 16nm when there is already 32nm. Two times the nm! And I want MOAR!!11

not to burst your bubble, but 16nm is better, AS IS smaller, which means on the same die you have more transistors hence MOAR power....euh..read the fricking article
Quote Ape 17th June 2009, 15:55
Quote:
Originally Posted by nicae
Toshiba is obsolete. They are making only 16nm when there is already 32nm. Two times the nm! And I want MOAR!!11

Ok, come in, grab a seat, and get comfortable, you are with friends and we will teach you.

Lesson 1. Chip sizes.

less > more
Quote Turbotab 17th June 2009, 15:59
I hope Nicae was joking, if not I have a super special 90nm Pentium, he can have for a few grand, twice as good as those smelly 45nm chips!
Quote C-Sniper 17th June 2009, 19:05
even better I have a 130nm Duron CPU he can have. for 2k
Quote Skiddywinks 17th June 2009, 21:06
Hahaha. Aww man, that was funny.
Quote Icy EyeG 17th June 2009, 23:05
Quote:
Originally Posted by nicae
Toshiba is obsolete. They are making only 16nm when there is already 32nm. Two times the nm! And I want MOAR!!11

Nicae I have a fantastic intel i386SX featuring a whopping 1000nm that will serve the highest demands in today's gaming and workstation requirements. PM me for price.
Quote Turbotab 17th June 2009, 23:07
Quote:
Originally Posted by Icy EyeG
Nicae I have a fantastic intel i386SX featuring a whopping 1000nm that will serve the highest demands in today's gaming and workstation requirements. PM me for price.

The 386 SX was teh ghey, real men rock the DX:)
Quote Icy EyeG 17th June 2009, 23:13
Quote:
Originally Posted by Turbotab
The 386 SX was teh ghey, real men rock the DX:)

Right! The DX must have been made in 1500nm then. :D
Quote thehippoz 18th June 2009, 01:56
lol moar! that's pretty cool.. toshiba has always made good stuff if you look at their higher end- wonder if this will affect intels timeline any or if they forge ahead like nothing happened :D
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