Intel Goes 3-D On Transistor Design Concept

In the three-dimensional tri-gate transistor, there's a lot of gate surface area in contact with the semiconductor material, so there's a lot more of the tiny strip of semiconductor material (pictured as the blue inversion layer) for current to flow through. This makes the difference between the transistor's "on" and "off" states much larger, which means that the transistor can switch between states much faster while still producing a clear string of ons and offs. Image Credit: Intel

Intel Goes 3-D On Transistor Design Concept

This month will go down in electronics history as the time marked as the advent of transistor design going three dimensional (3-D).

Intel has been exploring this new 22nm "tri-gate" transistor for over a decade, and the company first announced a significant breakthrough with the design in 2002. A trickle of announcements followed over the years, as the new transistor progressed from being one possible direction among many to its newly crowned status as the official future of Intel's entire product line.

This approach is significant primarily because it improves the core function of a computer to process data via the transistor switch. The transistor's substrate is sort of like a magic wire that can either conduct electricity or not, and the gate is the switch that controls whether the wire will conduct or not.

When a voltage is applied to the metal plate that forms the transistor's gate, a tiny strip of semiconductor material between the source and the drain changes from an insulator into a conductor, thereby turning the switch "on" and allowing current to flow from the source to the drain. When the voltage is removed, current stops flowing ... or, at least, current is supposed to stop flowing when the switch is off. In reality, trace amounts of current will constantly flow between the source and the drain. This so-called "leakage current" wastes precious power and becomes even more of a problem as transistors get smaller and more numerous.

Standard transistor gate design (note: blue layer functions as the switch). Image Credit: Intel

In the three-dimensional tri-gate transistor, there's a lot of gate surface area in contact with the semiconductor material, so there's a lot more of the tiny strip of (magic wire) semiconductor material (pictured as the blue inversion layer) for current to flow through. This makes the difference between the transistor's "on" and "off" states much larger, which means that the transistor can switch between states much faster while still producing a clear string of ons and offs.

Planar transistor vs Tri-Gate transistor. Image Credit: Intel

Another advantage relates to reducing its power consumption. One could take advantage of this new structure by applying less voltage to the gate. Sure, the blue inversion layer adjacent to the gate would be less conductive, but there's more of it available to carry electrons, so one can still let the same amount of current through when the switch is on.

The middle part that sticks up there is called a "fin." If Intel wants to stretch the gate and inversion layer sizes out even further, its approach lets it add multiple fins under a single gate, for boosts in performance and/or power at the expense of transistor density.

Ultimately, the advantage of stretching the gate out into the third dimension are that one can much more easily either boost the chip's frequency or reduce its power, or some mix of the two.

Graph shows advantages of new 22nm 3-D design over 32nm Standard gate design in transistors. Image Credit: Intel

Intel claims that the 22nm tri-gate transistors switch between 18 and 37 percent faster than the 32nm planar type (depending on the voltage level). Or, looked at from the voltage side, the new design can reduce active power by up to 50 percent.

These design advantages deliver very significant jumps in performance and efficiency, and these 3-D transistors will go a long way toward making Intel's "x86 in smartphones at 22nm" dreams come true.
(ht: Ars Technica)

Additional resource reading

• Intel's tri-gate page (intel.com)
• A tri-gate press briefing from 2006 (download.intel.com)
• Another good Intel tri-gate explainer (intel.com)
• Intel press backgrounder on tri-gate. (newsroom.intel.com)
• Intel's announcement (newsroom.intel.com)
• RWT on challenges at 22nm (realworldtech.com)

Biometric Facial Recognition In Three Dimensions

The Vision Access face reader is comprised of a real-time 3D surface scanner working in invisible near-infrared light and can be used in both identification and verification modes. Image Credit: Bioscrypt

Biometric Facial Recognition In Three Dimensions

Not just a photo, or an algorithm analyzing a simple X, Y axis, or a PIN number process ... No, not for this Japanese company. What they were really looking for is a system that delivered a sort of "DNA" as in Dynamic Name Association process.

Actual DNA takes way too long but a new type of biometric that goes way beyond simple face recognition seemed to fit the bill.

3D facial recognition system uses structured lighting to create a facial grid of 40,000 measurable data points. Image Credit: Bioscrypt

Face recognition that uses a full three dimensional mapping technique (the first ever of its type) using sub-micron mapping points offered by Bioscrypt, an enterprise access control solution provider, is capable of passive recognition with high performance results in real life environments – typically all that is needed is a glance in the direction of the reader anywhere from 3-6 feet away (video below).

This from SecureIDNews -

Bioscrypt's facial recognition selected by Japanese agency for access control
SecureIDNews Wednesday, March 21 2007

Forget ID cards, PINs or 20th century keys, just your face will do. At least that's the premise behind Bioscrypt's VisionAccess 3D Face Reader, which is being deployed by a Japanese government agency. The system will, at sub-second speed, perform multiple facial scans against a database of stored images and corresponding data, granting authorized persons access.

Bioscrypt Inc., a leading provider of enterprise access control solutions, today announced the deployment of its VisionAccess 3D Face Readers at a Japanese Government Agency located in Tokyo. Employees will be identified based on a face match only, without the need for ID cards, keys or PIN technology. In using only biometric identification, the system eliminates the risk of tokens and keys being lost, stolen or misused.

Invariance to Angles - Real-time video feed adds to the richness of 3D parameters, performing recognition with full head motion of up to 30’ degrees each direction allowing for flexibility is user positioning. Image Credit: Bioscrypt

The VisionAccess 3D Face Reader, the world's first three-dimensional facial identification/verification reader with active user feedback, was chosen by the systems integrator, Barrier Reef, as the biometric component of the physical access system to be deployed at the Tokyo based agency because of the unique combination of accuracy and speed of recognition that the system provides.

"The facial recognition units monitor the entry and exit of hundreds of people each day without failure," stated Haruo Kosugi, Director, Barrier Reef. "The agency is extremely pleased with the results and plans on expanding the program to other agencies within the next few months."

"Government agencies around the world continue to rely on Bioscrypt to provide leading edge biometric physical access control technologies to verify the identity of individuals who enter their facilities and with the recent introduction of 3D face solutions, Bioscrypt now offers a greater range of products to meet the demands of partners and end-user prospects," said Robert L. Williams, President and CEO Bioscrypt. "Barrier Reef has proven to be a valued partner for us in the Japanese market and we look forward to continued success with them going forward."

Bioscrypt's advanced 3D facial recognition system uses structured lighting to create a facial grid of 40,000 measurable data points. The system performs multiple facial scans and comparisons against a database of stored images and corresponding data, and conducts accurate identification at sub-second speeds, from which authorized persons are confirmed for access.
Reference Here>>

A typical secured space door access application demonstration:

"Look Ma, no hands!" - The advantage of biometric facial recognition in three dimensions.