Chipmaker Intel has ordered a test version of a new tool it says will allow the company to hurdle an impending industry-killing roadblock and continue to punch up chip performance.
The new tool uses Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography (EUV) to print extremely small circuit patterns on chips, resulting in smaller features that let chipmakers pack many more transistors onto their semiconductors. An increase in transistors basically means a corresponding leap in performance. With EUV, chipmakers could see clock speeds of 10GHz or faster--much speedier than today's quickest, 2.4GHz chips.
"The use of EUV will allow us to keep on the Moore's Law path with a new technology generation every two years," Peter Silverman, director of lithography capital equipment development at Intel, said Monday.
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