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FEBRUARY 1, 2005
By Stephen Baker HP Prints a New Chapter in Circuitry Its researchers have patented what promises to be a simple, cheap, and thoroughly revolutionary way of producing nano-width wiring
Who says Hewlett-Packard should separate its rich printer division from its struggling computer business? In the latest technology advance unveiled Feb. 1, HP (HPQ ) heralds nothing less than the future of the computer, and it also signals that the two divisions could share a cozy future. HP researchers say they've solved an enigma that next decade could lead the computing industry beyond the current standard of silicon chips and transistors into an era of molecular computing. The computer giant has patented a process that uses microscopic platinum nanowires to create ultratiny circuits. FINE LINES. "Most people have been trying to reinvent the transistor. We decided to reinvent the computer," says Stan Williams, HP senior fellow and co-author of the paper published in the Feb. 1 issue of the Journal of Applied Physics. Where does the vaunted printing division fit in? HP is looking to printing technology to manufacture the billions of platinum nanowires for the new chips. Instead of today's lithographic circuit-etching technology, the company plans to simply lay down the circuits through an exquisitely calibrated inkjet. "It's extremely inexpensive," says Williams. Already, other companies including Kodak (EK ) and Xerox (XRX ) are developing printable semiconductors for use on plastics. But the HP product would require a far greater level of precision. HP's breakthrough with platinum nanowires represents an advance in nanotechnology, the engineering of matter at the tiniest scale. A nanometer is one-billionth of a meter. COOL TRICK. The idea is that within five or six years, when chipmakers have moved from the current 90-nanometer circuits to something even smaller, these nanowire devices will sit on top of the silicon, replacing loads of larger transistors. Other companies are following similar research. IBM has created transistors that use one of the most common nanomaterials, carbon nanotubes. At the heart of HP's advance is a crossbar latch. This is a single wire acting as a signal line. It's crossed by two control lines with an electrically switchable molecular junction where they meet. For years, researchers had been able to send signals representing the concepts "and" and "or" through the crossbar latch. But they didn't know how to perform the "not" operation, which is a must for general computing. This transition to a nano technology is vital if the chip industry is to continue doubling the computing power on chips every 18 months, as prescribed by the famous Moore's Law, named for Gordon Moore, cofounder of chip giant Intel (INTC ). With the current architecture, the ever-smaller transistors are generating dangerously high levels of heat, which creates glitches in the manufacturing process. But with the latest HP technology, Moore's Law could well remain in effect.  Baker is a senior writer for BusinessWeek in New York
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