Silicon Alternatives

[videogames101]

On what metric? It has to be something very theoretical and irrelevant to actual processor performance. It just doesn't mean anything.

for your reading pleasure:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gallium_arsenide#Comparison_with_silicon

I don't know, but the material in the article has about 6 times more electron mobility. There's factors that end up reducing the difference, but they're not equals.

Look at how long we have had crappy resolution screens, but next year we'll start to see a drastic increase resolutions because of IGZO displays.

...and lower hole mobility, there's no free lunch

 

[TuxDave]

I'll believe it when they have a mass produced product.

Heh, I had the same attitude about finFETs before it was announced. Now I just assume Intel's process team is full of wizards.

 

[blastingcap]

Germanium Valley doesn't sound right.

 

[Homeles]

Germanium Valley doesn't sound right.

These devices are still grown on silicon wafers.

 

[blastingcap]

These devices are still grown on silicon wafers.

Germanium-Silicon Valley sounds even worse.

 

[jhu]

Germanium-Silicon Valley sounds even worse.

That's only because you're used to the term "Silicon Valley". If those early pioneers had used germanium instead, we'd all be calling it "Germanium Valley", and "Silicon Valley" would sound weird.

 

[blastingcap]

That's only because you're used to the term "Silicon Valley". If those early pioneers had used germanium instead, we'd all be calling it "Germanium Valley", and "Silicon Valley" would sound weird.

I think we woulda called it something else that you couldn't shorten to "Germ Valley"

 

[glugglug]

If HP & Samsung's memristor claims pan out, we'll be migrating to Titanium dioxide.

 

[Bubbleawsome]

Heh, I had the same attitude about finFETs before it was announced. Now I just assume Intel's process team is full of wizards.

Yeah. I can't comprehend how a company can be so massively ahead of the entire world. If they are pre building 10nm now, or using sillicon alternatives, how far ahead could they be? You guys point out how they had been working on ivy for 10(?) years so what do they have in the works now? gloflo and that other one are so far behind, when will they finally be uncompetitive? Will we eventually have all the fabs in companies like Samsung and intel?
It's mind blowing. Imagine the 4nm 32c hyper bridge germanium processor we might see in 2020 or 2030.
:awe:

 

[jdubs03]

yea i would love to get my eyes on some of their research currently going on. they were researching 15nm in like 2001 or so. i expect iii-v tfets at 7nm. that appears to be the route that they are most interested in. should give a massive bump in perf/watt.