IBM has announced a breakthrough that could be a significant step forward in chip technology. Namely, the company says its researchers at the Almaden Research Center in San Jose, Calif., have found a way to etch thinner circuits on the silicon wafers that are already produced.

The rush toward tinier chips has meant a smaller surface area on which to embed circuits; and IBM, Intel, and others have been exploring new ways of making chips while also trying to find ways to make smaller circuits. The IBM researchers say that their methods of optical lithography enable them to make circuits that are 29.9 nanometres wide, a full one-third thinner than those currently being made.

“Our goal is to push optical lithography as far as we can so the industry does not have to move to any expensive alternatives until absolutely necessary,” said Dr. Robert D Allen, manager of lithography materials at the Almaden Research Center.

The result, for now, is a reprieve from what some executives fear is a leap into the unknown.