MIT Team Creates Boosted Hybrid Chips for Better Wireless Use
A team from MIT, working with friends from Georgia Tech, has made a new way to join gallium nitride (GaN) and regular silicon chips. They aim to push forward cutting-edge wireless tech, such as 5G and data centers.
New Chip Design Solves a Key Manufacturing Issue
Gallium nitride goes fast and saves power, but it's costly and hard to mix with usual silicon. Before, people tried sticking whole GaN pieces to silicon, which was not cheap or good.
A Sharp and Cheaper New Way
Now, this method lets people put small GaN parts right on a silicon piece, just where needed. This saves money by using less GaN. They connect it with small copper pillars under heat, safe for the gentle silicon.
Clear Wins and What's Next
These new small, strong chips have shown great results. In one test, a built amplifier sent signals faster and stronger and stayed cooler than older ways. This tech opens doors for:
- Better wireless services
- Data centers
- New quantum computing tech
The big plus is that this method can grow and fit into existing tech places without big changes. This means faster, cheaper next-gen devices are possible.
Based on findings from MIT and Georgia Tech.
