Flaw in transistor noise theory could impede low-power chip design

Scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have discovered a problem that threatens the efficiency of future processors. The root of the issue is a flaw in the current understanding of transistor noise. You see, the elastic tunneling model--which is widely accepted--predicts that these electronic noises should increase as transistors get smaller. The team has discovered that this was not so, which is problematic since it implies that the theory must be wrong, according to an article in ScienceDaily.

On the other hand, transistor noise actually increases as less energy is pushed through nano-transistors. With chip makers gunning for new, low-power chips to power the next generation of netbooks and smartphones, this clearly spells trouble. NIST's Jason Campbell sums up the entire problem, "We have to understand the problem before we can fix it. And troublingly, we don't know what's actually happening."

For more on this story:
- check out this article at ScienceDaily