A new seven-nanometer square transistor could help chip makers cram more memory into the same silicon space they now use for their microprocessors.
The Room Temperature Single Electron MOS Memory transistor, developed at the University of Minnesota, uses a single electron to represent one bit of information. Existing transistors on random access memory SIMMs and semiconductors use a fluctuating level of electrons - roughly 30,000, researchers said - to make up one binary bit of memory.
Microprocessor manufacturers that used the new technology would be able to place trillions of transistors in the same space that, in the case of today's Pentium, is occupied by 5.5 million transistors.
"This would increase the overall power of the chip without increasing the fabrication costs and power consumption," said Stephen Chou, professor of electrical engineering at the University of Minnnesota.
Apparently, the semiconductor industry has taken notice. Chou said the major chip makers, including Texas Instruments and Intel, have contacted him about evaluating the technology.
