New manufacturing technique could replace copper wires, transistors with nanotubes
By Sharon Gaudin
September 16, 2009 11:45 AM ET


Computerworld - Researchers at MIT have found a way to grow the carbon nanotubes that manufacturers need to build smaller, faster computer chips.

As chipmakers like Intel Corp. and Advanced Micro Devices inc. work endlessly to find ways to build smaller and smaller chips, they often run into a multitude of problems.

A key issue that must be resolved: dealing with the tiny copper wires that connect transistors in a processor. As the chips shrink in size, so do the wires, making it increasingly difficult for them to maintain the level of current needed to meet performance requirements.


http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9...