IBM announced it has demonstrated <A HREF="http://www-1.ibm.com/press/PressServletForm.wss?MenuChoice=pressreleases&TemplateName=ShowPressReleaseTemplate&SelectString=t1.docunid=7446&TableName=DataheadApplicationClass&SESSIONKEY=any&WindowTitle=Press+Release&STATUS=publish">a technique that triples the performance</A> of a standard transistor used in semiconductors by a process that is compatible with conventional CMOS technology, a major step toward achieving continued performance enhancement of chips and the electronic systems that use them. The technique involves the creation of a layer of the element germanium in the critical portion of the transistor through which electrical current flows, called the "channel." Germanium has long been known to have better conductivity than silicon, and the strain in the germanium layer created by IBM's process leads to even further performance gains.