Post-silicon technology

ST research team explores genomic, optical utilizations.

Salvatore Coppa thinks about the future of the semiconductor industry. Not next quarter or next year, but what computer chips will look like 10 or 20 years out.

Jane Larson
The Arizona Republic

Coppa is director of research for silicon optoelectronics and post-silicon technologies at STMicroelectronics NV, the Swiss-based company that is the world’s sixth-largest chipmaker. He oversees 70 researchers working in Italy and sat down with The Arizona Republic during a visit to ST’s Phoenix plant last week to talk about what they’re doing to shape the computer chips of the future.

Republic: Your work is in research and development for the other parts of the business. Can you give an example of what you’re working on?

Coppa: The most obvious thing if you have an existing silicon technology is to add something else, possibly some other functions. This is what we do in optoelectronics: We add optical functions to a chip, like emitting light. It means we can transmit information faster and in a more precise way, with no effect from noise or the environment.

One typical example is medical devices, where there can be no physical electrical connection but you still have to transmit information. If you do it optically, nothing wrong can happen to the human being.

Another application is, if the brightness of these light sources is high enough, you can use it for a screen or display. You can turn on only the pixels that you want to be on, and this means lower power consumption.

Republic: What other areas are you exploring?

Coppa: All the work concerning genomics and proteomics is an emerging market but it will be a very fast-growing market.

If you can have reliable new technology to analyze DNA and protein, then you immediately have a big advantage in this field, because you now have a technology that helps in faster identification and more precise identification of the target.

Existing technology is based on glass slides. Our approach is to bring all this analysis onto silicon, because you can use electronics, photonics and optics. This makes all the analysis much faster, more reliable, generally more user-friendly, not to mention less expensive.

Republic: You’re also looking at energy generation?

Coppa: One area involves photovoltaics, the generation of electricity from sunlight, and the other is in fuel cells.

Solar is free energy and doesn’t pollute, so it would be the perfect choice. The problem is the cost. We are doing activity to improve the ratio between performance and cost.

Fuel cells are another large area. We are working on applications for portable electronics, to have something that can power your device for a very long time and have a faster way of recharging it. One thing is to have new ways to fabricate a structure, and the other is to synthesize new materials used in these fuel cells.

Republic: What will these new products mean for your co-workers in Arizona?

Coppa: The first impact would be to still have factories in the States or in Europe.

The second is the impact this new technology can have for anyone. Having new or faster ways of doing your health can be a big impact. Having new ways to develop drugs that do not poison your body in addition to curing your disease is going to impact. Having solar energy used as much as possible will have an impact on the environment and everyday life.

Technology is always going to change our life.

Reach the reporter at [email protected] or (602) 444-8280.

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/business/articles/1106STMicro06.html