By Peter Weiss
Microchip manufacture is horrendously complex. As designers cram more components onto minuscule patches of silicon, the enterprise just gets tougher–so much so that some industry savants worry that the march of miniaturization may end in just a few years (SN: 5/5/01, p. 286: Available to subscribers at Getting Nanowired).
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Now, researchers at Princeton University have demonstrated a new process for modifying silicon surfaces that may simplify chip manufacturing and reduce its costs.