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March 11, 2008
IBM and Hitachi Form Research Collaboration
By Anshu Shrivastava, TMCnet Contributing Editor
IBM and Hitachi ( News - Alert), Ltd. have signed a two-year joint semiconductor metrology research agreement in order to speed the pace of semiconductor innovation.
The agreement marks the first time Hitachi and IBM ( News - Alert) have collaborated on semiconductor technology. At present, both the companies are working together on enterprise servers and other products.
The new collaboration is expected to focus on 32-nm and beyond semiconductor research. Both the companies state that the research will use new methods that include the latest technologies to analyze semiconductor devices and structures in order to improve the characterization and measurement of transistor variation, and also to develop a better understanding of device physics.
Bernie Meyerson, vice president of Strategic Alliances and CTO of Systems & Technology Group at IBM, said in a statement that Hitachi’s semiconductor characterization capabilities, and IBM’s CMOS research capabilities can help the two companies accelerate the pace of semiconductor innovation for the 32-nanometer generation and beyond.
He noted that miniaturization of transistors—a driving force in improving the performance of computer chips—is being aggressively pursued in the development of next-generation 32 and 22-nanometer devices.
Explaining that the feature size of such minute devices is in the realm of billionths of a meter, he added that effects at this scale can have a large impact on the electrical characteristics of individual transistors.
“By combining individual research strength and intellectual property we reduce the significant costs associated with research needed to advance the next generation of chip technology,” he added.
Eiji Takeda, vice president and executive officer, general manager of Research & Development Group at Hitachi, Ltd., commented, “Our two companies have a long history of successful business collaboration and we look forward to extending this to include the semiconductor metrology research arena.”
He also pointed out that IBM and Hitachi, through this collaborative research, intend to investigate the possibilities for even further transistor scaling.
Engineers from the two companies and Hitachi's subsidiary, Hitachi High-Technologies, will conduct joint research at IBM's Thomas J. Watson Research Center in Yorktown Heights, N.Y. and at the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering's Albany NanoTech Complex.
Anshu Shrivastava is a contributing editor for TMCnet. To see more of her articles, please visit her columnist page.
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(source: http://www.tmcnet.com/comsol/articles/22693-ibm-hitachi-form-research-collaboration.htm)
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