1.   Byars said that he expects strained silicon chips to offer performance that compares well to gallium arsenide.

2.   He claims that strained silicon is the answer.

3.   IBM researchers will present papers describing the strained silicon results and its ability to combine the two technologies at a conference next week in Kyoto, Japan.

4.   Strained silicon, Davari said, can be used in chips for everything from mainframes and communications switches to handheld devices.

5.   The downside is that strained silicon wafers cost a lot.

6.   The strained silicon is produced by depositing a mixed layer of silicon and germanium onto a silicon base.

7.   But the strained silicon process, which aligns the silicon atoms slightly farther apart, allows electrons to flow the same distance with less resistance, said Issac.