usatoday24
Rare earth monopolize the prominence in the field of semiconductors and other industries since they began The tensions between the US and China. Gallic, Germanio and antimony do not belong to this group of exotic chemical elements, but they are also being used as exchange currency For these two great powers To assault yourself. Anyway, in the domain of integrated circuits there is a chemical element that is much more humble, but that is also essential. And it is not the essential silicon. It is copper.
This transition metal is not one of the most abundant chemical elements on our planet, but it is not uncommon either. And fortunately, it is relatively simple to extract and process it. It stands out for its high electrical conductivity and good thermal conductivity, as well as its ductility and corrosion resistance. These properties have caused it to be one of the essential elements in the manufacture of semiconductors for decades, but little by little an alternative is being made that seems to be called to unseat it. And it is really exotic.
Ruthenium is making its way in the integrated circuit industry
Before we investigate the properties of Ruthenium, it is good for us to know precisely what the chips manufacturers use the copper. And they use it first of all in the connections of the transistors within the integrated circuits. Copper links are responsible for transmitting electrical signals between some transistors and others, so their intervention is essential within the semiconductors. In fact, the electrical properties that I have highlighted in the previous paragraph are responsible for this metal having such a relevant role.
However, its adoption was initially not simple. And it was not because copper can be filtered in silicon. This process is known as the diffusion of copper in silicon, and is similar to the electromigration of which We talk to you in this other article To explain why this last phenomenon represents a threat to our electronic devices. In any case, during the diffusion the copper atoms move and infiltrate the crystalline structure of the silicon, degrading it and conditioning its physicochemical properties.
“Now I think the industry is probably considering ruthenium as the next great advance in interconnections beyond copper.”
Fortunately, IBM found the solution to this problem in 1998. His researchers realized that it was possible copper infiltrate silicon. This strategy was so effective that the semiconductor industry adopted it and has maintained it so far. However, innovation makes its way, and Ruthenium, as I mentioned a few lines above, seems to be called to replace copper in connections between transistors.
Jon Yu, the person in charge of the Newsletter The Asianometryhe has suggested very rightly During the conversation who has maintained with Ben Thompson, the author of the interesting publication Stratechery. “The entire industry followed the steps of IBM And copper had to be treated in an innovative way that has worked well for more than 20 years. Now I believe that the industry is probably considering ruthenium as the next great advance in interconnections beyond copper. “
Like copper, Ruthenium is a transition metal. The two properties that make it so interesting to occupy the place of copper within the integrated circuits are its high electrical conductivity and its excellent corrosion resistance. However, we cannot overlook something very important: Ruthenium is very scarce in the earth’s crust. Very scarce. Only 0.0000002% of the cortex of our planet is Ruthenium.
The main reserves of this metal are found in South Africa, Russia, Zimbabue, Canada and the US. We will see if it is finally consolidated as one of the essential ingredients of The next generation of integrated circuits. If so, in all likelihood it will become another object of desire for the great powers.
Image | TSMC
More information | The Asianometry Newsletter
In Xataka | The 2 Nm chips race will start in 2025. And it will be the most fierce of all
GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings