Clear Blog for Moore's Law:
How small can we go?
Moore's Law demonstrates the predictable performance improvements within the integrated circuit world. Consumers want their technology faster, more powerful and less expensive. And they are getting what they ask for. Chip-based, non-volatile memory is how consumers' demands are being met. Chips are being produced in as soon as 18 months since the previous one that are faster and hold twice as many transistors than the chips before.
Flash memory is used in mobile phones, digital cameras and more. And flash memory is how the consumers requests are being fulfilled. Flash memory is contained on silicon chips. These chips or semiconductors are solid state electronics which means no moving parts. Therefore they are less likely to fail and they need less power to operate. Here is a diagram showing how a silicon chip starts out. Technology allows us to etch transistors on to the tiniest pieces of silicon.
Are you thinking that these chips can only get so small? And that the transistors on the chips must be at their smallest possible size? That there has to be an end to Moore's Law? Well, you are right. The chips can only get so small. The chips will eventually get to a point where they can no longer be made smaller. The heat produced will also cause a problem if chip size keeps reducing.
Never fear, a new paradigm has been entered. Intel is now stacking the teeny tiny chips. 3-D Trigate transistors are Intel's solution for shrinking chips and transistors, at least for now. Eventually, these semiconductors will produce more heat than they can handle. We have to begin to move away from silicon toward new materials that will be able overcome these challenges. Moore's Law could finally come to an end or we will shift to a new material and a new phase of Moore's Law. Here is a link for further reading and a new video from Dr. Michio Kaku if you would like to learn more:
