Implementing digital approach onto human body structure faces a number of challenges. One of them is energy resources. It is a well known fact that low-voltage electricity flows round our bodies but it is kept under transistor threshold voltage (Vt) by the laws of nature which we cannot change. However, IMEC researchers are now struggling to push transistor threshold voltage from industry’s best 0.5V down to ∼0.2V so that potentially it could operate inside human’s body without additional energy source. Biomedicine doesn’t steer the project alone. Low Vt SoCs use significantly less energy. But there are problems as well. The biggest one is that low Vt transistors have to be built on 180nm fabrication process and that is far too much compared with today’s 32nm spoiling all the energy benefits. Once lower fabrication process is successfully applied we are in for some serious changes in technology and medicine, my friends!
1 votes | Biomedical SoCs are on their wayJun 15, 2010 |
Implementing digital approach onto human body structure faces a number of challenges. One of them is energy resources. It is a well known fact that low-voltage electricity flows round our bodies but it is kept under transistor threshold voltage (Vt) by the laws of nature which we cannot change. However, IMEC researchers are now struggling to push transistor threshold voltage from industry’s best 0.5V down to ∼0.2V so that potentially it could operate inside human’s body without additional energy source. Biomedicine doesn’t steer the project alone. Low Vt SoCs use significantly less energy. But there are problems as well. The biggest one is that low Vt transistors have to be built on 180nm fabrication process and that is far too much compared with today’s 32nm spoiling all the energy benefits. Once lower fabrication process is successfully applied we are in for some serious changes in technology and medicine, my friends!
