100 -nanometer - target delayed
2014-05-28 Rainer Klute 8 Comments

How POET Technologies announced in a press release on Tuesday , the achievement of the 100 -nm target is delayed by a few weeks.

This destination is about to reduce the structure size of the POET chips from the current 200 nm ( nanometers) to 100 nm or smaller. Actually, this should be done by the end of March , as the below roadmap identifies . Now the technology team strives to achieve the milestone 8 until the end of June .

Milestone plan (Source: POET Technologies, Corporate Overview April 2014 )

The reasons for the delay POET Technologies mentions, among other things, the development of novel production steps. The notification does not go really into detail, but remains for all cryptic and incomprehensible , who are not familiar with semiconductor manufacturing - so for almost everyone. I give the corresponding fit below in their original , so that the reader can get an idea :

Among the technical challenges Addressed by the team are short- channel effects and the development and implementation of a novel technique based on using a non -gold based contact without, liftoff , to achieve achievement self -alignment . This results in a general digital device format for III- V technologies . Many of synthesis processes have been captured as new intellectual property for the Company by submission of patent applications .

Update of previously reported here the paragraph: notes the commentator » Airtower " ( see below) and search the user " oogee " in AGORACOM forum shed some light into the darkness. I quote: short-channel effects arise when in a field effect transistor , the channel - ie optionally conductive region under the gate - is very narrow. These are , for example, disorders of the channel shape , characterized in that a relatively high voltage across the short distance decreases , or quantum effects . The smaller the structures , the greater the influence of such factors.

Gold is for the POET process probably not the optimum material for contacts because the manufacturing process , annealing (heat treatment) with fairly high temperatures provides and together with gallium arsenide goes gold even at the relatively low temperature of 350 ℃ in a liquid phase. Plausible that results from smaller structures more of a problem than larger ! But at least here POET has probably found a solution .

The result was a " common component digital format for III- V technologies ," the company writes . What exactly is meant by this is unclear , but it sounds good. POET any case, much of it is exciting enough to report it to the patent. I therefore hope that the benefits of the newly developed method is the default overcompensate ultimately .

In developing novel process steps POET Technologies may be good , in estimating the development time , the company has so far not with glory. I can think of no single spontag a milestone , the POET Technologies would have reached on time. One criticism I want the team did not make it anyway, because research and development, you do not get usually with tight schedules together . For large are the uncertainties. However, one would have to appreciate exactly why much more generous .

One thing I want to emphasize , however : Until now, POET Technologies has been reached each milestone - achieved not necessarily on time, but achieved. I am confident that milestone 8 will be no exception . And if it does not work until the end of June , because it was again too optimistic estimate , then stop until the end of July - or so.

The 100 -nm target has a high priority because the feature size reduction has been requested by a potential partner , and probably is a prerequisite for productive use . As was to learn from other sources, it is thereby supposed to represent one of the largest companies in the world , but not by Intel, Apple or Samsung.
Long waves for network technology

Another point of POET - release is re-opening the MBE system (Molecular Beam Epitaxy ) , which was for maintenance and upgrade of two months from service and now can produce wafers for the POET process again . As chief engineer Dr. Geoff Taylor explained, optical with the upgraded MBE chip devices can now also produce for large wavelengths. With the old MBE you have been able to produce only optical elements for short waves , such as for use in data center applications. With Bausteien for long waves POET reach also the network market.
Cast PET components in software

The implementation of the PET components in software go ahead as planned , POET Technologies announces . End of the third quarter to the partners and customers, software models are available and greatly simplify design and manufacturing.

PET is POET without optical components. The purely electronic solution already promises significant performance gains and to reduce power consumption significantly .
Negotiations go ahead

Discussions with potential partners and customers go further , announces POET CEO Peter Copetti . As he told elsewhere , it expects first statements end of this year and then more significantly in 2015.
The share

The share price reacted to the delay of the 100 -nm target initially peeved . The course was from 1.79 CAD (closing price 2014-05-26 ) up to 1.55 CAD after . In late trading ( " Power Hour " ) , the stock rebounded significantly and closed at 1.75 CAD. There was a moderate loss of 0.04 CAD.

Please note the information on risks and liability !
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