Pisano, though, noted that new technologies take time. About 15 years passed between the development of the transistor in the late '40s to the true development of the electronics industry. Several challenges need to be overcome, but the progress with nanotechnology makes MEMS more promising. The first "killer apps" for the types of MEMS Pisano described will appear in about five years, he predicted, as demand exists. Gillette spent $500m in the last few months on radio frequency transmitters. A number of universities and private companies will be presenting papers on MEMS over the five-day conference in San Francisco. Some of the major themes include microfluidics, or small machines that can test biological samples, and films or surfaces with sensory capabilities. Other companies are presenting papers on progress in using chains of molecules to make processors or memory devices. Molecular computing will likely take much longer to develop, but early results are showing promise. Molecular chips differ substantially from today's silicon processors, noted Phaedon Avouris, manager of nanoscience and nanotechnology at IBM's Watson Research Center. Carbon nanotubes exposed to the air, for instance, carry a positive charge. When hermetically sealed off, they carry a negative charge. 'The properties are not just with the nanotubes, but with the environment," Avouris said. As a result, IBM is developing different coatings to control this behaviour.
See Chips Central for the latest headlines on processors and semiconductors.
To find out more about the computers and hardware that these chips are being used in, see ZDNet UK's Hardware News Section.
Let the Chips Central editor know what you think by email. And sign up for the weekly Chips Central newsletter.
