IBM has announced the "first-ever manufacturing application of self-assembly used to create a vacuum — the ultimate insulator — around nanowires for next-generation microprocessors." The technique mimics the pattern-creating process that nature uses to form such things as seashells, snowflakes, and tooth enamel. While it is commonly referred to as "airgap technology," the gaps are actually vacuums. Because the vacuum areas are better at providing insulation between the copper wires in the chip than insulators used in conventional manufacturing, wiring capacitance is reduced, thus producing a chip that can run 35 percent faster (or consume 15 percent less power) than today's most advanced devices.
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