The 14 nm process refers to the
MOSFET
The metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET, MOS-FET, or MOS FET) is a type of field-effect transistor (FET), most commonly fabricated by the controlled oxidation of silicon. It has an insulated gate, the voltage of which d ...
technology node
Semiconductor device fabrication is the process used to manufacture semiconductor devices, typically integrated circuit (IC) chips such as modern computer processors, microcontrollers, and memory chips such as NAND flash and DRAM that are pres ...
that is the successor to the
22nm
The 22 nm node is the process step following 32 nm in CMOS MOSFET semiconductor device fabrication. The typical half-pitch (i.e., half the distance between identical features in an array) for a memory cell using the process is around 22 nm ...
(or 20nm) node. The 14nm was so named by the
International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors
The International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS) is a set of documents produced by a group of semiconductor industry experts. These experts are representative of the sponsoring organisations which include the Semiconductor Industry A ...
(ITRS). Until about 2011, the node following 22nm was expected to be 16nm. All 14nm nodes use
FinFET (fin field-effect transistor) technology, a type of
multi-gate MOSFET
A multigate device, multi-gate MOSFET or multi-gate field-effect transistor (MuGFET) refers to a metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) that has more than one gate on a single transistor. The multiple gates may be control ...
technology that is a non-planar evolution of planar
silicon CMOS
Complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor (CMOS, pronounced "sea-moss", ) is a type of metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) fabrication process that uses complementary and symmetrical pairs of p-type and n-type MOSF ...
technology.
Samsung Electronics
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (, sometimes shortened to SEC and stylized as SΛMSUNG) is a South Korean multinational electronics corporation headquartered in Yeongtong-gu, Suwon, South Korea. It is the pinnacle of the Samsung chaebol, a ...
taped out a 14 nm chip in 2014, before manufacturing
10 nm class NAND flash chips in 2013. The same year,
SK Hynix began mass-production of 16nm
NAND flash, and
TSMC
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (TSMC; also called Taiwan Semiconductor) is a Taiwanese multinational semiconductor contract manufacturing and design company. It is the world's most valuable semiconductor company, the world' ...
began 16nm FinFET production. The following year,
Intel began shipping 14nm scale devices to consumers.
History
Background
The basis for sub-20nm fabrication is the
FinFET (Fin
field-effect transistor), an evolution of the
MOSFET
The metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET, MOS-FET, or MOS FET) is a type of field-effect transistor (FET), most commonly fabricated by the controlled oxidation of silicon. It has an insulated gate, the voltage of which d ...
transistor.
FinFET technology was pioneered by Digh Hisamoto and his team of researchers at
Hitachi
() is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. It is the parent company of the Hitachi Group (''Hitachi Gurūpu'') and had formed part of the Nissan ''zaibatsu'' and later DKB Group and Fuyo G ...
Central Research Laboratory in 1989.
14 nm resolution is difficult to achieve in a polymeric
resist
A resist, used in many areas of manufacturing and art, is something that is added to parts of an object to create a pattern by protecting these parts from being affected by a subsequent stage in the process. Often the resist is then removed.
For ...
, even with
electron beam lithography
Electron-beam lithography (often abbreviated as e-beam lithography, EBL) is the practice of scanning a focused beam of electrons to draw custom shapes on a surface covered with an electron-sensitive film called a resist (exposing). The electron ...
. In addition, the chemical effects of
ionizing radiation also limit reliable resolution to about
30 nm, which is also achievable using current state-of-the-art
immersion lithography.
Hardmask materials and
multiple patterning are required.
A more significant limitation comes from plasma damage to
low-k materials. The extent of damage is typically 20 nm thick, but can also go up to about 100 nm. The damage sensitivity is expected to get worse as the low-k materials become more porous. For comparison, the atomic radius of an unconstrained
silicon is 0.11 nm. Thus about 90 Si atoms would span the channel length, leading to substantial
leakage.
Tela Innovations and Sequoia Design Systems developed a methodology allowing double exposure for the 16/14 nm node circa 2010.
Samsung and
Synopsys
Synopsys is an American electronic design automation (EDA) company that focuses on silicon design and verification, silicon intellectual property and software security and quality. Products include tools for logic synthesis and physical design ...
have also begun implementing double patterning in 22 nm and 16 nm design flows.
Mentor Graphics reported taping out 16 nm test chips in 2010. On January 17, 2011,
IBM announced that they were teaming up with
ARM
In human anatomy, the arm refers to the upper limb in common usage, although academically the term specifically means the upper arm between the glenohumeral joint (shoulder joint) and the elbow joint. The distal part of the upper limb between th ...
to develop 14 nm chip processing technology.
On February 18, 2011,
Intel announced that it would construct a new $5 billion
semiconductor fabrication plant
In the microelectronics industry, a semiconductor fabrication plant (commonly called a fab; sometimes foundry) is a factory where devices such as integrated circuits are manufactured.
Fabs require many expensive devices to function. Estimates ...
in
Arizona, designed to manufacture chips using the 14 nm manufacturing processes and leading-edge 300 mm
wafers
A wafer is a crisp, often sweet, very thin, flat, light and dry biscuit, often used to decorate ice cream, and also used as a garnish on some sweet dishes. Wafers can also be made into cookies with cream flavoring sandwiched between them. They ...
. The new fabrication plant was to be named Fab 42, and construction was meant to start in the middle of 2011. Intel billed the new facility as "the most advanced, high-volume manufacturing facility in the world," and said it would come on line in 2013. Intel has since decided to postpone opening this facility and instead upgrade its existing facilities to support 14-nm chips. On May 17, 2011, Intel announced a roadmap for 2014 that included 14 nm transistors for their
Xeon
Xeon ( ) is a brand of x86 microprocessors designed, manufactured, and marketed by Intel, targeted at the non-consumer workstation, server, and embedded system markets. It was introduced in June 1998. Xeon processors are based on the same arc ...
,
Core
Core or cores may refer to:
Science and technology
* Core (anatomy), everything except the appendages
* Core (manufacturing), used in casting and molding
* Core (optical fiber), the signal-carrying portion of an optical fiber
* Core, the central ...
, and
Atom product lines.
Technology demos
In the late 1990s, Hisamoto's Japanese team from
Hitachi
() is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. It is the parent company of the Hitachi Group (''Hitachi Gurūpu'') and had formed part of the Nissan ''zaibatsu'' and later DKB Group and Fuyo G ...
Central Research Laboratory began collaborating with an international team of researchers on further developing FinFET technology, including
TSMC
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (TSMC; also called Taiwan Semiconductor) is a Taiwanese multinational semiconductor contract manufacturing and design company. It is the world's most valuable semiconductor company, the world' ...
's
Chenming Hu
Chenming Calvin Hu (; born 1947) is a Chinese-American electronic engineer who specializes in microelectronics. He is TSMC Distinguished Professor Emeritus in the electronic engineering and computer science department of the University of Califo ...
and various
UC Berkeley researchers. In 1998, the team successfully fabricated devices down to a 17nm process. They later developed a 15nm FinFET process in 2001.
In 2002, an international team of researchers at UC Berkeley, including Shibly Ahmed (Bangladeshi), Scott Bell, Cyrus Tabery (Iranian),
Jeffrey Bokor
Jeffrey Bokor is an American electrical engineer.
Bokor earned a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1975 and completed a doctorate in the same field at Stanford University in 1980. He then ...
, David Kyser,
Chenming Hu
Chenming Calvin Hu (; born 1947) is a Chinese-American electronic engineer who specializes in microelectronics. He is TSMC Distinguished Professor Emeritus in the electronic engineering and computer science department of the University of Califo ...
(
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (TSMC; also called Taiwan Semiconductor) is a Taiwanese multinational semiconductor contract manufacturing and design company. It is the world's most valuable semiconductor company, the world ...
), and
Tsu-Jae King Liu
Tsu-Jae King Liu is an American academic and engineer who serves as the Dean and Roy W. Carlson Professor of Engineering at the UC Berkeley College of Engineering.
Liu is an electrical engineer with extensive expertise and achievements in both a ...
, demonstrated
FinFET devices down to
10 nm
The following are examples of orders of magnitude for different lengths.
__TOC__
Overview
Detailed list
To help compare different orders of magnitude, the following list describes various lengths between 1.6 \times 10^ metres and 1 ...
gate length.
In 2005,
Toshiba demonstrated a 15 nm FinFET process, with a 15 nm gate length and 10 nm
fin
A fin is a thin component or appendage attached to a larger body or structure. Fins typically function as foils that produce lift or thrust, or provide the ability to steer or stabilize motion while traveling in water, air, or other fluids. Fin ...
width, using a sidewall spacer process. It has been suggested that for the 16 nm node, a logic transistor would have a gate length of about 5 nm.
In December 2007, Toshiba demonstrated a prototype memory unit that used 15-nanometre thin lines.
In December 2009, National Nano Device Laboratories, owned by the Taiwanese government, produced a 16 nm
SRAM chip.
In September 2011,
Hynix announced the development of 15 nm NAND cells.
In December 2012,
Samsung Electronics
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (, sometimes shortened to SEC and stylized as SΛMSUNG) is a South Korean multinational electronics corporation headquartered in Yeongtong-gu, Suwon, South Korea. It is the pinnacle of the Samsung chaebol, a ...
taped out a 14 nm chip.
In September 2013,
Intel demonstrated an
Ultrabook laptop that used a 14 nm
Broadwell CPU, and Intel CEO
Brian Krzanich
Brian Matthew Krzanich (born May 9, 1960) is an American engineer and Krzanich joined Intel as an engineer in 1982 and served as chief operating officer (COO) before being promoted to CEO in May 2013. As CEO, Krzanich was credited for diversifyin ...
said, "
PUwill be shipping by the end of this year." However, shipment was delayed further until Q4 2014.
In August 2014, Intel announced details of the 14 nm microarchitecture for its upcoming
Core M processors, the first product to be manufactured on Intel's 14 nm manufacturing process. The first systems based on the Core M processor were to become available in Q4 2014 — according to the press release. "Intel's 14 nanometer technology uses second-generation
tri-gate transistor
The 22 nm node is the process step following 32 nm in CMOS MOSFET semiconductor device fabrication. The typical half-pitch (i.e., half the distance between identical features in an array) for a memory cell using the process is around 22 nm ...
s to deliver industry-leading performance, power, density and cost per transistor," said Mark Bohr, Intel senior fellow, Technology and Manufacturing Group, and director, Process Architecture and Integration.
In 2018 a shortage of 14 nm fab capacity was announced by Intel.
Shipping devices
In 2013,
SK Hynix began mass-production of 16nm
NAND flash,
TSMC
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (TSMC; also called Taiwan Semiconductor) is a Taiwanese multinational semiconductor contract manufacturing and design company. It is the world's most valuable semiconductor company, the world' ...
began 16nm
FinFET production,
and
Samsung began
10nm class NAND flash production.
On September 5, 2014, Intel launched the first three Broadwell-based processors that belonged to the
low-TDP Core M family: Core M-5Y10, Core M-5Y10a, and Core M-5Y70.
In February 2015, Samsung announced that their flagship smartphones, the
Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge, would feature 14 nm
Exynos
Exynos, formerly Hummingbird (), is a series of ARM-based system-on-chips developed by Samsung Electronics' System LSI division and manufactured by Samsung Foundry. It is a continuation of Samsung's earlier S3C, S5L and S5P line of SoCs.
Ex ...
systems on chip (SoCs).
On March 9, 2015,
Apple Inc.
Apple Inc. is an American multinational technology company headquartered in Cupertino, California, United States. Apple is the largest technology company by revenue (totaling in 2021) and, as of June 2022, is the world's biggest company b ...
released the "Early 2015"
MacBook and
MacBook Pro, which utilized 14 nm Intel processors. Of note is the i7-5557U, which has
Intel Iris Graphics 6100 and two cores running at 3.1 GHz, using only 28 watts.
On September 25, 2015, Apple Inc. released the
iPhone 6S & 6S Plus, which are equipped with "desktop-class"
A9 chips that are fabricated in both 14 nm by Samsung and 16 nm by
TSMC
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (TSMC; also called Taiwan Semiconductor) is a Taiwanese multinational semiconductor contract manufacturing and design company. It is the world's most valuable semiconductor company, the world' ...
(Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company).
In May 2016,
Nvidia
Nvidia CorporationOfficially written as NVIDIA and stylized in its logo as VIDIA with the lowercase "n" the same height as the uppercase "VIDIA"; formerly stylized as VIDIA with a large italicized lowercase "n" on products from the mid 1990s to ...
released its
GeForce 10 series
The GeForce 10 series is a series of graphics processing units developed by Nvidia, initially based on the Pascal microarchitecture announced in March 2014. This design series succeeded the GeForce 900 series, and is succeeded by the GeForce 16 ...
GPUs
A graphics processing unit (GPU) is a specialized electronic circuit designed to manipulate and alter memory to accelerate the creation of images in a frame buffer intended for output to a display device. GPUs are used in embedded systems, mobil ...
based on the
Pascal
Pascal, Pascal's or PASCAL may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Pascal (given name), including a list of people with the name
* Pascal (surname), including a list of people and fictional characters with the name
** Blaise Pascal, Frenc ...
architecture, which incorporates TSMC's 16 nm
FinFET technology and Samsung's 14 nm FinFET technology.
In June 2016,
AMD
Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (AMD) is an American multinational semiconductor company based in Santa Clara, California, that develops computer processors and related technologies for business and consumer markets. While it initially manufact ...
released its
Radeon RX 400 GPUs based on the
Polaris architecture, which incorporates 14 nm FinFET technology from Samsung. The technology was licensed to
GlobalFoundries for dual sourcing.
On August 2, 2016,
Microsoft released the
Xbox One S, which utilized 16 nm by TSMC.
On March 2, 2017, AMD released its
Ryzen
Ryzen ( ) is a brand of multi-core x86-64 microprocessors designed and marketed by AMD for desktop, mobile, server, and embedded platforms based on the Zen microarchitecture. It consists of central processing units (CPUs) marketed for mainst ...
CPUs based on the
Zen
Zen ( zh, t=禪, p=Chán; ja, text= 禅, translit=zen; ko, text=선, translit=Seon; vi, text=Thiền) is a school of Mahayana Buddhism that originated in China during the Tang dynasty, known as the Chan School (''Chánzong'' 禪宗), and l ...
architecture, incorporating 14 nm FinFET technology from Samsung which was licensed to GlobalFoundries for GlobalFoundries to build.
The
NEC SX-Aurora TSUBASA
The NEC SX-Aurora TSUBASA is a vector processor of the NEC SX architecture family. Unlike previous SX supercomputers, the SX-Aurora TSUBASA is provided as a PCIe card, termed by NEC as a "Vector Engine" (VE). Eight VE cards can be inserted into ...
processor, introduced in October 2017,
uses a 16nm FinFET process from TSMC and is designed for use with
NEC SX
is a Japanese multinational information technology and electronics corporation, headquartered in Minato, Tokyo. The company was known as the Nippon Electric Company, Limited, before rebranding in 1983 as NEC. It provides IT and network sol ...
supercomputers.
On July 22, 2018, GlobalFoundries announced their 12 nm Leading-Performance (12LP) process, based on a licensed 14LP process from Samsung.
In September 2018 Nvidia released GPUs based on their
Turing (microarchitecture), which were made on TSMC's 12 nm process and have a transistor density of 24.67 million transistors per square millimeter.
14 nm process nodes
Lower numbers are better, except for transistor density, in which case is the opposite. Transistor gate pitch is also referred to as CPP (contacted poly pitch), and interconnect pitch is also referred to as MMP (minimum metal pitch).
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:14 nanometre
*00014
Bangladeshi inventions
Iranian inventions
South Korean inventions
Taiwanese inventions