IBM, Samsung Unveil VTFET to Extend Moore's Law

By Stefani Munoz, EETimes (December 14, 2021)

IBM and Samsung Electronics claimed a breakthrough in semiconductor design based on a new IBM’s architecture touted as enabling an 85-percent reduction in power consumption.

The partners said the Vertical Transport Field-Effect Transistors (VTFET) scheme offers greater power efficiency over FinFET designs, potentially extending Moore’s Law scaling beyond current two-dimensional nanosheet thresholds.

FinFETs are generally designed to lie flat atop a wafer to allow electric currents to flow horizontally. Compared to a planar transistor, FinFETs help reduce power leakage while providing greater device density.

Unlike FinFETs, the companies said VTFETs are situated perpendicular to a chip substrate, allowing electric currents to flow vertically. The companies claim the design could, for example, extend smartphone battery life beyond a week without requiring a charge, according to IBM’s blog post.

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