IBM’s electron microscope to help build smaller chips

NEW YORK: International Business Machines Corp. said on Wednesday that it has built a more precise electron microscope that could help it build smaller and faster computer chips by allowing it to see more clearly where atoms are located in relation to one another. The microscope will help scientists observe how atoms interact and fix mistakes in tiny semiconductors, such as missing or extra atoms.

Scientists previously could only see hints of these problems, and only some of the time, said Philip Batson, the lead scientist on the project in IBM's research division. "We can't fix what we can't see," Batson said. For instance, IBM scientists were able to more clearly see how atoms are arranged and how they move by studying single atoms of gold on the surface of a carbon film.

Armonk, New York-based IBM and privately held Nion Co., based in Kirkland, Washington, have been working for five years to improve the electron microscope, which uses magnetic lenses to focus electrons into very small beams to look at atoms. Batson said that the microscope could be used in other applications, such as looking at complex proteins. IBM will publish details of its finding in the August 8 edition of the scientific journal Nature.

© Reuters