Higher Performance, More Power Efficient 65nm Process Technologies

In papers presented at the International Electron Devices Meeting (IEDM) in Washington, D.C., IBM and AMD detailed their progress in bringing new, advanced semiconductor process technologies and materials to the 65-nm technology generation.

The companies announced that they have successfully combined embedded Silicon Germanium (e-SiGe) with Dual Stress Liner (DSL) and Stress Memorization technology (SMT) on Silicon-On-Insulator (SOI) wafers, resulting in a 40 percent increase in transistor performance compared to similar chips produced without stress technology, while controlling power consumption and heat dissipation. The new process technologies reduce interconnect delay through the use of lower dielectric constant (lower-K) insulators, which can improve overall product performance and lower power consumption. In addition, the new technologies have shown ability to be manufactured at the 65nm generation and scaleable for use in future generations.

“Our joint work on developing advanced process technologies continues to ensure we can create and provide the highest performance, lowest power processors on the market,” said Nick Kepler, vice president of logic technology development at AMD. “Yet again, we can add another achievement to our list of successes that demonstrate how shared expertise and skills can result in overcoming roadblocks and creating more valuable innovations for customers.”

“At IBM, we strongly believe that our unique joint development partnership with AMD at East Fishkill, N.Y. is key to overcoming power and heat challenges as the industry reaches near atomic scales,” said Gary Patton, vice president, technology development at IBM's Semiconductor Research and Development Center. “The successful integration of leadership technologies from IBM, AMD and our partners at 65nm demonstrates the strength of our collaborative innovation model.”

Visit www.amd.com.