Comments on: IBM puts vacuum spaces in chips

Nothing insulates like a vacuum. Big Blue says its Airgap technique will increase chip speed and reduce power consumption.
Images: IBM's vaccuum techique
Video: Building chips with Airgap

[the1kingarthur]

Vacume Tubes........hhhmmmm

Vacume Tubes ring any bells?

[lesliejs]

yes!

history somehow repeats itself...in this case atleast

[chabig83]

Writer thinks we're stupid

"...a vacuum, which is space devoid of matter (including air)."

The writer thinks we don't know what a vacuum is?

[hack311]

?

I was quite fond of the articles explantion. We're all glad you know what a vacuum is.

[hack311]

?

I was quite fond of the articles explantion. We're all glad you know what a vacuum is.

[LordSnooty]

Sublimation?

No mention was made in the article of sublimation; the ease with which molecules can disengage from a surface and increase the pressure of the medium above, particularly when there's vacuum at the surface. This isn't a great problem with valves ("vacuum tubes") because the volume/surface area ratio is quite large. However, this ratio is linearly proportional to device dimensions, and so the smaller the vacuum cavity is made, the smaller this ratio becomes, and the larger the effect of sublimation becomes - orders of magnitude greater for these tiny holes than for a valve. Not only is the vacuum compromised by sublimation, but the dielectric constant will also be affected - it would slowly drift with time, and so one wonders how long these chips will last before becoming useless.