Nov. 11, 2004 – Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (AMD) will work with Albany NanoTech http://www.albanynanotech.org/ to develop methods for measuring the stress in the silicon material of microchips, according to a news release.

The release said the project would focus on near-field optical techniques, exploiting the enhancement of the optical field at the nanoprobe tip. The new technique could lead to more accurate stress measurements in strained silicon, which speeds the flow of electrons through transistors to increase performance and decrease power consumption. Researchers seek measurements at a resolution of less than 10 nanometers.

Employees from the AMD’s Materials Analysis Laboratory in Dresden, Germany, will come to Albany NanoTech, which is located at University at Albany-State University of New York. Findings will be sent to the Dresden lab to measure the performance of transistors designed for next-generation chips.