latest breathtaking and breakthrough inovations

		IBM Airgap Microprocessor IBM Airgap Microprocessor -- IBM has created experimental versions of its latest POWER6 microprocessor using self-assembly techniques to create a vacuum between the miles of on-chip wiring. The company has moved self assembly out of the labs and into a commercial manufacturing environment. It expects to begin manufacturing servers based on airgap-technology in 2009.

Self Assembling Chips Self Assembling Chips -- IBM Fellow Dan Edelstein with an experimental version of IBM's latest-generation microprocessor. The chip uses a vacuum to insulate the miles of wiring that connect its millions of transistors. The "airgaps" were created using a self-assembly technology that creates a uniform pattern of trillions of nanoscale holes in a wafer. The technique draws on nature's ability to form intricate patterns such as snowflakes and sea shells.

IBM Airgap Microprocessor IBM Airgap Microprocessor -- This microprocessor cross section shows empty space in between the chip's wiring. Wires are usually insulated with a glass-like material. IBM has integrated self-assembly techniques, long confined to laboratories, with its manufacturing lines to create a test version of its latest microprocessors that use vacuum gaps to insulate the miles of nano-scale wire that connect hundreds of millions of transistors. The breakthrough reduces electrical interference, raises processor performance, and lowers energy consumption.