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Summary: SEMICONDUCTORS
I
n the electronics industry, Moore's Law
has joined death and taxes as one of
the certainties of life. This rule, that the
number of transistors that can be put
on an integrated circuit will double
every couple of years or so, is fundamental to
the ubiquity of ICs. They're already responsible
for toasting our bread, handling our airplane
reservations, predicting our weather.
If Moore's Law continues to hold, they will
someday make our beds, translate our speech
on the fly, and guide our surgeons' hands
through delicate operations. But maintaining
this frenzied pace means that semiconductor
manufacturers are constantly in search of new
ways to make transistors ever smaller.
Picture this
ICs are made using optical lithography, a
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