How can we create faster computers with origami?

Researchers showed that stacks of thousands of flexible foil sheets studded with transistors can be folded into new architectures, offering a way to extend Moore’s Law.

Digital Economy

Moore’s Law states that the number of transistors on a computer chip will double every 2 years. Yet this scaling rule is now approaching its economic and physical limits. Stacking transistors in multiple layers is a promising solution. The EU-funded ORIGENAL project developed a new 3D packaging concept for transistors, inspired by the ancient Japanese technique of folding paper to create art. The project has now been featured in the CORDIS series of explanatory videos titled ‘Make the connection with EU science’.

“This is a very simple, fast and effective approach to go from 2D to 3D,” explains Daniel Neumaier, chair of Smart Sensor Systems at the University of Wuppertal in Germany. The team also evaluated existing machines and processes from different fields including flexible electronics, thin-film photovoltaics and food packaging, where thin foils are handled.

‘Make the connection with EU science’ is a series of explanatory videos focusing on the scientific content and exploitation aspects of EU research projects.

Keywords

ORIGENAL, origami, electronic, computer, chip, Moore’s Law, transistors, folding, logic computing