IBM announced on November 4th that it has created the world's fastest silicon-based transistor. The transistor, a key component in microchips, uses a modified design and IBM's proven silicon germanium (SiGe) bipolar technology to achieve speeds of 350 GigaHertz (GHz). IBM's new transistor performs nearly 300 percent faster than today's production devices, and is 65 percent faster than previously reported silicon transistors. A fingernail-sized microchip can hold millions of transistors.

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IBM anticipates the new transistor will lead to communications chips with speeds of more than 150 GHz in about two years. The transistor is also expected to result in substantially lower power consumption and lower cost for communications systems and other electronic products. "The industry recognizes the importance of SiGe technology, and everyone is racing to add it to their arsenal," said Bernard Meyerson, IBM Fellow and Chief Technologist, IBM Technology Group. "SiGe is imperative for true system-on-chip designs that pull together standard logic circuitry and higher-speed wireless communications circuitry. And while others are introducing their first versions, this is IBM's fifth generation of SiGe technology." IBM will present details of the technology in a paper, titled "SiGe HBTs with Cut-off Frequency Near 300 GHz" at the International Electron Devices Meeting (IEDM) held in San Francisco, Dec. 9-11, 2002. Source: IBM SiGE technology page