14 DAY TRIAL // All current computer chips are based on a silicon wafer which acts as an underlying support layer for transistors and other electronic parts. The technology of "gluing" the electronic parts to the support layer is really complex and it involves a number of carefully guarded trade secrets.
There are a number of computer hardware manufacturers interested in the development of such a new technology, among them IBM, Intel and AmberWave Systems. AmberWave Systems is a specialized firm in developing semiconductor substructures, and during a recent Semicon West conference, it presented a way of using germanium and other rare metals on top of a silicon wafer, in order to achieve greater chip speeds.
The silicon wafer that acts as a substrate for the chips is "cracked" according to AmberWave Systems, by digging some lines 500 nanometers deep in it. These lines are then filled with germanium and the end result is that the cracks are only about half the total height of the line walls, so a regular procedure is then used to "grow" a semiconductor material on top of them. What this procedure does is that is makes it rather easy and cheap to get some fast germanium or indium transistors on top of a standard computer industry silicon wafer.
AmberWave Systems is not a beginner in the development of such technologies, as it was the pioneer behind the "strained silicon" approach that gained worldwide acceptance and now every major chip designer and producer uses it. Just like some other companies, AmberWave Systems is not actively involved in producing computer chips or any other hardware parts, but instead it is focusing on developing new technologies to be used by hardware manufacturers. The downside of this approach is that sometimes it takes a court rule to obtain the financial compensation from a big producer like Intel. Mark Wolf, AmberWave's former CEO, was cited by the site News.com when referring to a similar case between Rambus and Infineon: "It's our O.J. (Simpson) trial," he said.