IBM. Taiyo Nippon Sanso and Matheson to collaborate on future CMOS

Specialty Gases Supplied by Matheson Tri-Gas to Enable Semiconductor Advances Armonk, NY and Basking Ridge, NJ -- April, 28, 2008 -- International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE: IBM) and Matheson Tri-Gas Inc., the largest subsidiary of Taiyo Nippon Sanso Corporation, Japan, announced today that they have signed a unique, four-year agreement to jointly develop new manufacturing materials and processes that will enable the next generation of semiconductor technology for 32nm and beyond.

The agreement marks the first time Matheson Tri-Gas/Taiyo Nippon Sanso and IBM have collaborated on semiconductor technology. As the semiconductor industry transitions from one technology generation to the next, manufacturers must rapidly develop new approaches to manage shrinking device circuitry. In order to continue to innovate at the transistor level in successive technology generations, IBM will collaborate with Matheson Tri-Gas/Taiyo Nippo Sanso to research and develop new high purity gas molecules and new delivery systems for the manufacturing of atomic-scale semiconductors. Engineers from the two companies and Matheson Tri-Gas' parent company, Taiyo Nippon Sanso Corporation, will conduct joint research and development at the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering's Albany NanoTech Complex. "Taiyo Nippon Sanso Group including Matheson Tri-Gas' cutting-edge source gases and advanced purification equipment, when integrated with IBM's state-of-the-art CMOS research capabilities, enables both companies to accelerate the pace of semiconductor innovation," said Bernie Meyerson, Vice President Strategic Alliances and Chief Technical Officer for IBM Systems & Technology Group.

"In our business model where we pool individual research strengths and intellectual property, we are able to reduce the significant costs associated with the research required to create the next generation of chip technology." "This relationship between Taiyo Nippon Sanso Corporation, Matheson Tri-Gas, and IBM sends a clear message to the global semiconductor community that the collaborative model that IBM and its partners have chosen is attractive for partners specializing in material, chemical and gas based solutions to technical challenges of the twenty-first century," said Bill Kroll, Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Matheson Tri-Gas. "This relationship with IBM will enable the Taiyo Nippon Sanso Group to position itself as a leading edge material supplier in the semiconductor material market beyond 32nm," said Mike Hara, Senior Managing Director of Taiyo Nippon Sanso Corporation. Matheson Tri-Gas, Inc. is a single source for industrial, medical, specialty and electronic gases, gas handling equipment, high performance purification systems, engineering and gas management services, and on- site gas generation with a mission to deliver innovative solutions for global customer requirements. Matheson Tri-Gas, Inc. is the largest subsidiary of the Taiyo Nippon Sanso Corporation Group, one of the five largest suppliers of industrial, specialty, and electronics gases in the world.

Magnetic Bacteria

Magnetic or “magnetotactic” bacteria were first discovered in the 1960s, and naturally organize themselves in the direction of Earth’s magnetic field, as shown in this video:

Video by Melbynfm

Inside these bacteria there is a row of iron-containing crystals aligned with the long axis of the cell, giving them the equivalent of an internal magnetic compass needle (Molecular mechanisms of magnetosome formation. Ann Rev Biochem 2007 76: 351-66). Such bacteria can sense and align themselves relative to the earth’s magnetic field. Magnetotactic bacteria are major constituents of many natural microbial communities, especially in aquatic habitats. There is a broad range of shapes and groups of magnetic bacteria. However, cultivation of these organisms in the laboratory is often difficult and only few strains of magnetotactic bacteria have been isolated in pure culture, a tiny minority of the vast diversity of naturally occurring populations from largely unexplored natural habitats such as the marine environment.

So why would bacteria want to be magnetic? Leaving aside the possibility that they are magnetic by accident, e.g. as a consequence of some metabolic byproduct, the truth is that we really don’t know the reason. However, the most likely explanation lies not in north-south alignment, but in up and down. The magnetotactic bacteria we know about require low but very precise levels of oxygen to survive, and must live in sediments where the oxygen concentration is just right for their needs. Over much of the globe, the Earth’s magnetic field actually points down towards the centre of the planet, so by following these lines of magnetic flux, they are able to ensure that they bury themselves in the sediment, which is exactly where they want to be. Thus the majority of magnetotactic in the Northern Hemisphere are north seeking, and those in the Southern Hemisphere are south seeking.

So, just one of nature’s curiosities then? Possibly not. One of the hottest areas of scientific research at present is nanotechnology, the fabrication of devices with dimensions on an atomic or molecular scale. By understanding how these bacteria construct the internal magnetosomes which give them their unique properties, we may be able to learn how to use this knowledge in a range of engineering and biotechnological applications (Molecular analysis of magnetotactic bacteria and development of functional bacterial magnetic particles for nano-biotechnology. Trends Biotechnol 2007 25: 182-8).