The Chip Insidertm
IBM is using 1X x-ray lithography to expose the gate level of 0.15 micron PowerPC wafers. So far, they have achieved a 50nm overlay, which is marginal for this CD. So yields must be abysmal. But it does put them on the leading, if not bleeding, edge of the technology. The process uses a damascene copper / FSG interconnect scheme. We have heard device speeds are in the 750Mhz range. If this turns out to be even close to cost-effective, watch-out, here comes Apple. IBM’s technical prowess is also why Motorola has lost almost all of Apple’s business. From what we hear, Apple and IBM have gotten real close.
And on a lighter note . . . NPR this weekend on its Car Talk Radio program reported that Microsoft announced it had patented the numbers one and zero. Microsoft has been using these numbers since its inception and since competition in the software industry has become so predatory, Microsoft felt the need to protect its intellectual property. In a prepared statement, Bill Gates was quoted as saying, “Microsoft wants to continue in its role as the number one Software Company in the world, so that the millions of people who purchase our products can continue to be a bunch of zeros to us.”
For those of you who are not familiar with Car Talk Radio, it is weekly program about car repair that is fairly humorous. They can be reached through American Public Radio or their attorneys, Dewey, Cheetham and Howe.
