Posted on: Wednesday, September 5, 2001

Motorola says new semiconductor opens 'whole new world'

Associated Press

NEW YORK — Motorola Inc. says it has developed a semiconductor that runs 35 times faster than today's models, an innovation it hopes will lead to faster, smaller and cheaper cell phones, computers and telecommunications equipment.

While praising the company's innovative solution, scientists remained cautious about predicting how soon the market might see new devices based on the technology.

Motorola says it has solved a 30-year-old problem of creating a semiconductor that combines the durability and economy of silicon with the high speed of crystal compounds used in lasers and fiber optic applications.

Its scientists did so by layering gallium arsenide, a fast but brittle semiconductor, onto silicon by way of a spongy middle, which binds the two and protects the coating.

"It's a monumental change in the constraints on the construction of semiconductor systems," said Dennis Roberson, chief technology officer of Motorola. "We've opened the door on a whole new world."

The new wafers will be licensed next year, but the company doesn't expect to see products on the market for another two years.

Motorola has applied for 270 patents for the materials and production process of the semiconductor, which it says runs at 70 gigahertz instead of the current 2 Ghz, the speed of the fastest processors in personal computers.

While silicon has been the workhorse of the electronics industry, it is a relatively slow transmitter of signals.

Electrons zip much faster through crystals of gallium arsenide and indium phosphide, which are also good transmitters of light.

Cell phones and other devices use separate semiconductors of each material.

Scientists say the new technology can't be evaluated properly until the company releases more information.

"The technical community talks to each other through the scientific literature, which is where you can evaluate the electronic properties and ensure you don't have defects," says Rafael Reif, an engineering professor who directs MIT's Microsystems Technology Laboratories. "This is a business announcement and an attempt to bring the stock up."