1. What modern processors are manufactured on gate arrays with aluminum interconnects?
I was reading about it in a recent SI. But that's not very important. Let me refrase the main point I wanted to make. After IMB clearly demonstrated the goodness of Cu wires as compared to Al wires, nobody wanted to jump into it. In fact, if you recall, initially Intel sais that's nonsense. However as soon as AMD demonstrated that Cu is the way to go, most of the others got into it soon thereafter. So my main point was that, after Intel's recent demonstration, mostly everyone will jump at it, and invest in Si photonics. This will speed up the development. Do you agree?
2. Where are you getting this? Silicon feature sizes are already below 70nm on today's 90nm processes and Intel has working processors on a still smaller 65nm process.
You are right! 65 nm is already here, but (from a practical point of view) it's hard to believe it will go any lower. Deep UV lithography can't be pushed to much more (even if bottom layer antireflection coatings are used), and the electron lithography (and other fancy solutions) as I know is still not usable.
3. I remember listening to Gordon Moore about 10 years ago saying that Intel had a way to get to .25u and his process experts said they thought they could see a way to do 180nm but beyond that it was anybody's guess. Solutions were found and Intel is now confident they can scale silicon for another 10 years, at least.
I've alway been a Moore fun. But his law got "bent" in 2001 as you know. And Moore's curve it's about to get flat, IMO. Not too much more room for growth, IMO.
4. I agree with you that someday photons will replace electrons but that day is still a ways off.
Not when everyone jumps in, IMO. The stakes are too high, and whoomever doesn't invest in it (IO's) will be left behind. The ones that accumulate most of IP's in this area have the biggest chance to conquer a good slize of the future market. Since I'm impressed with Intel's results (after only some 2 years), most probably (or at least is what I hope) they will keep the lead. But, once they "oppened their mouth," they better move fast.
PS: Life was not as good to me as it was with most of you. English was the 5-th language I have to learn. So, when I write fast, I still have problems getting my point out (I never took any English classes). Due to my relatively poor ability to write coherent phrases, and the tendency to form long ones it's something I can't hide.
Mike
