Growing 3D Chips

The increasing density of components on flat 2D computer chips is encouraging chip designers to build chips upwards to create three-dimensional chips. But moving from flat interconnecting wires to 3D ones to link up different storeys isn't that easy. Researches at University of Illinois have developed a technique to grow tiny 3D wires in situ which are tailor-made for their location. The technique is a modified form of electroplating, in which an electric current is used to coat a conductive surface with a thin layer of metal, deposited from a liquid electrolyte. Such a technique theoretically offers a way to directly "write" metal wires onto a surface.