AMD and IBM Unveil New 65nm Process Technologies

AMD And IBM Unveil New, Higher Performance, More Power Efficient 65nm Process Technologies At Gathering Of Industry’s Top R&D Firms — Achievements Can Help Both Companies Meet Aggressive Goals for Increasing Performance, While Decreasing Power Requirements, of Future Microprocessors

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