Tuesday, February 21, 2006

EETimes.com - UMC claims silicon frequency record of 192 GHz

EETimes.com - UMC claims silicon frequency record of 192 GHz
Most folks don't appreciate the advances of Moore's Law beyond the increase in their computer's performance. However, this recent achievement of a 192 GHz chip funded by Darpa dollars has the promise of advancing sensing technology at a very fundamental level. The key intuition is that sensors detect electromagnetic radiation--x-rays, ultraviolet, visible light, infrared, and microwaves are all examples. The higher the frequency, the shorter the wavelenght. The shorter the wavelength, the smaller the thing you can resolve, or sense. Thus, faster chips let you see smaller things. At 192 GHZ, this chip should provide a new level of sensing functionality and new applications that were previously impossible to do.