Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Politics : Formerly About Applied Materials -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Jeffrey D who wrote (34421)	2/24/2000 11:34:00 PM
From: Tony Viola	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 70976

Jeffrey, Morgan seems underpaid by today's standards. I was surprised, reading an article in the San Jose Mercury News, to see that Dan Maydan, next in command, was very close to Morgan in salary and stock. Maydan may be a technology genius, I don't know, but at the shareholders' meeting, Morgan's definitely "The Man." Tony

To: Jeffrey D who wrote (34421)	2/25/2000 9:50:00 AM
From: Tito L. Nisperos Jr.	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 70976

Jeffrey, Graef Crystal is correct: James Morgan was underpaid compared to others. I remember him receiving $250 thousand in salary per year steering a company building Stairs to the clouds --- while the head of the company whose stock I was buying before, was receiving over $1 Million in salary per year steering a company headed to the Pit of bankruptcy... As for the AMAT StairCase Construction Workers, you are right --- they deserve a Raise! In the meantime, they were jubilant recently when they won another Contract to build another section of the StairCase to be anchored above the Landing they are yet to start. (My Spy warned me recently that the Workers probably will start the Landing beginning at the second half of February (this month) but judging from the renewed enthusiasm of the workers --- the start could be postponed to the second half of next month (on or after they split the stock)...

To: Jeffrey D who wrote (34421)	2/25/2000 10:17:00 AM
From: Proud_Infidel	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 70976

Motorola Transistor May Extend Moore's Law Motorola Labs has built what it claims is the world's thinnest functional transistor using a class of perovskite semiconductor materials never before used. The US-based lab said the development marks the first fundamental change in 30 years in the materials used to build transistors. The experimental transistor is three to four times thinner than those built with conventional semiconductors, and has superior electrical properties, the lab said. Jerry Hallmark, advanced device research manager at Motorola Labs, said his team has been searching for five years for a replacement for silicon dioxide in current transistor gate insulators. The reason is that silicon dioxide is reaching the end of its ability to be made thinner, which increases performance. But if the material is too thin, there is electrical current leakage. "Silicon dioxide has been a workhorse for CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) for 30 years, but in another two years we won't be able to make it any thinner," Hallmark said. Sal Mastroianni, director of the strategic office for Motorola's Digital DNA Labs, which collaborated with Motorola Labs, added, "We have to evolve to these new materials to continue on Moore's law, or a doubling of speed and density of integration every 12-18 months. This is one material solution that will keep us on that curve for another two to three generations." The development, Motorola Labs said, could lead to future integrated circuits (IC) that will be faster and more powerful while operating from the voltage of only one battery. Perovskites are a class of strontium titanate crystalline materials that have special properties such as a high dielectric constant and ferroelectricity under certain conditions. The high dielectric constant allows perovskites to be applied in thick layers, but to function like a thinner material. "This boosts the frequency and performance, so we'll be able to make microprocessors and microcontrollers that are faster for personal computers (PC). The microprocessors could be two to three times the speed of today's models," Hallmark said. They also could be used in high-performance, low-power applications such as mobile phones and pagers and other portable devices. "Our focus is shifting rapidly to addressing portable devices, which are driven not as much by performance, but more by leakage current," Mastroianni said. Leakage current is power that is consumed without performing useful work. Artificial Perovskites The perovskite materials are rare, so Motorola made them artificially in the lab. To make the new transistor, Motorola Labs grew the strontium titanate crystalline material on silicon substrates, a task Hallmark said was quite challenging. "It was a significant effort to make the interface between the crystalline material and the silicon smooth and have it perform well," he said. Silicon dioxide is applied in a 30-40 Angstrom-thick layer, while perovskites are applied in a 100 Angstrom-thick layer that functions like a 10 Angstrom-thick layer. Motorola Labs said it has demonstrated electrical properties in perovskites that are 10 times better than silicon dioxide. "With conventional silicon dioxide at 30 Angstroms, the perception is that we can't push below 20 Angstroms, which is one or two generations of products away," Mastroianni said. "So in two cycles of Moore's law, we will need to replace it with this material or others like it, which will be as pervasive as silicon oxide is today." The technology won't be implemented in a product for another four or five years. Motorola has built and tested a transistor, but has yet to build a full integrated circuit. That will be done by the Digital DNA Labs of Motorola's semiconductor group. (Lori Valigra, Boston: Feb. 2000 Issue, Nikkei Electronics Asia)