IBM Announces Double Gate Transistor

This week during the International Electronic Device Manufactures (IEDM) conference in Washington, D.C. IBM will release a series of papers detailing a new type of transistor that promises to improve chip performance and reduce power consumption. The "Double-Gate" transistor is the product of a breakthrough in SOI, a special kind of material invented by IBM, design that overcame many obstacles IBM has encountered in its laboratories.

Double Gate transistors nearly double the speed of today’s transistors while improving control over the electric current that passed through. As conventional transistors are miniaturized it becomes increasingly difficult to manage their On/Off function. IBM estimates that double gate transistors will be needed in 5-10 years to avert being stuck in the "On" position.

According to IBM’s Bijan Davari, vice president of semiconductor development, "SOI is changing the rules in semiconductors. Other than getting smaller, the basic transistor has largely gone unchanged for decades, but it has now been shrunk nearly to a point where it will cease to function. Fortunately, our wealth of experience using SOI allows us to change the basic design of the transistor, permitting further shrinkage and other improvements."

The company overcame problems with electrical leakage, high energy demands and poor electrical flow – allowing it to round the corner toward eventual production. This breakthrough came after years of collaboration between the IBM Research and Microelectronic Divisions.

Other innovations from its research and development efforts have allowed IBM to extend the lifespan of Moore’s Law. The company past efforts have included copper transitioning from aluminum to copper transistors, allowing for better conductivity. In the past year the company engineered a material dubbed "Strained Silicon" which can increase chip speeds up to 35 percent, as well as reduce power consumption.

This announcement comes on the heels of Intel’s claim that it had developed what it calls a “Terahertz" transistor. The terahertz transistor aims at stemming problems that arise out of power consumption. Intel is also working on its own version of SOI which it claims is better suited for chip development than IBM’s.