Intel Research at IEDM, exhibited How Moore’s Law Lives and how Chipzilla plans to deliver the next generation of chips with Trillion transistors by 2030.
Intel Research Strengthens Moore’s Law and Leads to One Trillion Transistors by 2030
Press release: At IEDM 2022, the 75th anniversary of the transistor, Intel is targeting a new 10x density improvement in packaging technology and is using a new material just 3 atoms thick to advance transistor scaling.
What’s up: Today, Intel announced the research breakthroughs that fuel the innovation line to bring Moore’s Law to a trillion transistors in one package over the next decade. At the IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting (IEDM) 2022, Intel researchers showcased advances in 3D packaging technology with a new 10-fold improvement in density; New materials for the 2D transistor that go beyond RibbonFET, including super-thin material only 3 atoms thick; new possibilities in energy efficiency and memory for higher performance computing; and advances for quantum computing.
“Seventy-five years after the invention of the transistor, the innovation driving Moore’s Law continues to meet the world’s exponentially growing demand for computing. At IEDM 2022, Intel will deliver what it takes to overcome current and future hurdles, meet this insatiable demand, and keep Moore’s Law alive and well for years to come. It showcases research advances that are both forward-thinking and tangible.”
— Gary Patton, Intel vice president and general manager of Component Research and Design Enablement
What’s Happening at IEDM: Celebrating the 75th anniversary of the transistor, Dr. Ann Kelleher, Intel Vice President and General Manager of Technology Development, will moderate a plenary session at IEDM. Kelleher will outline the paths forward for sustained industry innovation – rallying the ecosystem around a systems-based strategy to innovate more effectively to meet the world’s growing demand for computing and move forward at Moore’s Law pace. “Celebrating the 75th Anniversary of the Transistor! A Look at the Evolution of Moore Law Innovation” takes place on Monday, December 5 at 9:45 PM PST.
Why It Matters: Moore’s Law is vital to meeting the world’s insatiable computing needs, as increasing data consumption and the drive towards increasing artificial intelligence (AI) bring with it the largest acceleration in demand ever.
Continuous innovation is the cornerstone of Moore’s Law. Many of the key innovation milestones in personal computers, graphics processors and data centers have started with Intel’s Components Research Group over the past two decades, including stretched silicon, Hi-K metal gate and FinFET for sustained power, performance and cost improvements. . More research is on the roadmap today, including RibbonFET all-around gate (GAA) transistors, PowerVia backend power distribution technology, and packaging breakthroughs like EMIB and Foveros Direct.
At IEDM 2022, the Intel Components Research Group demonstrated its commitment to innovate in three key areas to continue Moore’s Law: new 3D hybrid assembly packaging technology to enable seamless integration of chips; super-thin, 2D materials to fit more transistors on a single chip; and new possibilities in energy efficiency and memory for higher performance computing.
How We Do: Component Research Group researchers have identified new materials and processes that are blurring the line between packaging and silicone. We describe critical next steps in the journey to extend Moore’s Law to a trillion transistors in a package, including advanced packaging that can reach an additional 10x interconnect density and lead to semi-solid chips. Intel’s material innovations also identify practical design options that can meet transistor scaling requirements using a new material only 3 atoms thick, allowing the company to continue scaling beyond StripFET.
Intel is rolling out semi-solid chips for next-gen 3D packaging:
- Intel’s latest hybrid coupling research presented at IEDM 2022 shows a 10x improvement in power and performance density compared to Intel’s IEDM 2021 research presentation.
- Continuous hybrid coupling scaling with 3 µm pitch achieves interconnect densities and bandwidths similar to those found in monolithic system-on-chip connections.
Intel is looking for super-thin ‘2D’ materials to fit more transistors into a single chip:
- Using a 2D channel material just 3 atoms thick, Intel demonstrated a stacked nanosheet structure with all-round gates while achieving near-ideal switching on a double-gate structure with low leakage current at room temperature. These are two major breakthroughs needed to stack GAA transistors and go beyond the fundamental limits of silicon.
- The researchers also uncovered the first comprehensive analysis of electrical contact topologies for 2D materials that could pave the way for high-performance and scalable transistor channels.
Intel brings new possibilities in energy efficiency and memory for higher performance computing:
- To use chip space more efficiently, Intel is redefining scaling by developing memory that can be placed vertically on top of transistors. In an industry first, Intel demonstrates stacked ferroelectric capacitors that match the performance of conventional ferroelectric trench capacitors and can be used to build FeRAM on a logic die.
- An industry-first device-level model captures mixed phases and imperfections for advanced ferroelectric hafnia devices, demonstrating that Intel has made significant progress in supporting industry tools to develop new memories and ferroelectric transistors.
- Bringing the world one step closer to moving beyond 5G and solving power efficiency challenges, Intel is building a viable path to GaN on 300 millimeters of silicon. Intel breakthroughs in this area deliver 20x gains over industry standard GaN and set an industry-record merit figure for high-performance power delivery.
- Intel is breaking new ground in super energy efficient technologies, including forgettable transistors to store data even when the power is off. Intel researchers have already overcome two of the three hurdles that prevent the technology from being fully viable and operational at room temperature.
Intel continues to introduce new concepts in physics with breakthroughs in providing better qubits for quantum computing:
- Intel researchers are working to find better ways to store quantum information by better understanding the various interface flaws that can act as environmental disturbances affecting quantum data.
