The 90 nm process refers to the technology used in
semiconductor manufacturing
Semiconductor device fabrication is the process used to manufacture semiconductor devices, typically integrated circuits (ICs) such as microprocessors, microcontrollers, and memories (such as Random-access memory, RAM and flash memory). It is a ...
to create
integrated circuit
An integrated circuit (IC), also known as a microchip or simply chip, is a set of electronic circuits, consisting of various electronic components (such as transistors, resistors, and capacitors) and their interconnections. These components a ...
s with a minimum feature size of 90 nanometers. It was an advancement over the previous
130 nm process. Eventually, it was succeeded by smaller process nodes, such as the
65 nm,
45 nm, and
32 nm processes.
It was commercialized by the 2003–2005 timeframe, by semiconductor companies including
Toshiba
is a Japanese multinational electronics company headquartered in Minato, Tokyo. Its diversified products and services include power, industrial and social infrastructure systems, elevators and escalators, electronic components, semiconductors ...
,
Sony
is a Japanese multinational conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at Sony City in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. The Sony Group encompasses various businesses, including Sony Corporation (electronics), Sony Semiconductor Solutions (i ...
,
Samsung
Samsung Group (; stylised as SΛMSUNG) is a South Korean Multinational corporation, multinational manufacturing Conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered in the Samsung Town office complex in Seoul. The group consists of numerous a ...
,
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation (using the trademark IBM), nicknamed Big Blue, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational technology company headquartered in Armonk, New York, and present in over 175 countries. It is ...
,
Intel
Intel Corporation is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Santa Clara, California, and Delaware General Corporation Law, incorporated in Delaware. Intel designs, manufactures, and sells computer compo ...
,
Fujitsu,
TSMC
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (TSMC or Taiwan Semiconductor) is a Taiwanese multinational semiconductor contract manufacturing and design company. It is one of the world's most valuable semiconductor companies, the world' ...
,
Elpida,
AMD
Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (AMD) is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Santa Clara, California and maintains significant operations in Austin, Texas. AMD is a hardware and fabless company that de ...
,
Infineon
Infineon Semiconductor solutions is the largest microcontroller manufacturer in the world, as well as Germany's largest semiconductor manufacturer. It is also the leading automotive semiconductor manufacturer globally. Infineon had roughly 58,0 ...
,
Texas Instruments
Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI) is an American multinational semiconductor company headquartered in Dallas, Texas. It is one of the top 10 semiconductor companies worldwide based on sales volume. The company's focus is on developing analog ...
and
Micron Technology
Micron Technology, Inc. is an American producer of computer memory and computer data storage including dynamic random-access memory, flash memory, and solid-state drives (SSDs). It is headquartered in Boise, Idaho. Micron's consumer produc ...
.
The origin of the 90 nm value is historical; it reflects a trend of 70% scaling every 2–3 years. The naming is formally determined by the
International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS).
The 300 mm wafer size became mainstream at the 90 nm node. The previous wafer size was 200 mm diameter.
The 193
nm wavelength was introduced by many (but not all) companies for
lithography
Lithography () is a planographic method of printing originally based on the miscibility, immiscibility of oil and water. The printing is from a stone (lithographic limestone) or a metal plate with a smooth surface. It was invented in 1796 by ...
of critical layers mainly during the 90 nm node. Yield issues associated with this transition (due to the use of new
photoresist
A photoresist (also known simply as a resist) is a light-sensitive material used in several processes, such as photolithography and photoengraving, to form a patterned coating on a surface. This process is crucial in the electronics industry.
T ...
s) were reflected in the high costs associated with this transition.
Since at least 1997, "process nodes" have been named purely on a marketing basis, and have no relation to the dimensions on the integrated circuit;
neither gate length, metal pitch or gate pitch on a "90nm" device is ninety nanometers.
History
A 90nm
silicon
Silicon is a chemical element; it has symbol Si and atomic number 14. It is a hard, brittle crystalline solid with a blue-grey metallic lustre, and is a tetravalent metalloid (sometimes considered a non-metal) and semiconductor. It is a membe ...
MOSFET
upright=1.3, Two power MOSFETs in amperes">A in the ''on'' state, dissipating up to about 100 watt">W and controlling a load of over 2000 W. A matchstick is pictured for scale.
In electronics, the metal–oxide–semiconductor field- ...
was
fabricated by Iranian engineer
Ghavam Shahidi (later
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation (using the trademark IBM), nicknamed Big Blue, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational technology company headquartered in Armonk, New York, and present in over 175 countries. It is ...
director) with D.A. Antoniadis and H.I. Smith at
MIT
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of modern technology and sc ...
in 1988. The device was fabricated using
X-ray lithography.
Toshiba, Sony and Samsung developed a 90nm process during 20012002, before being introduced in 2002 for Toshiba's
eDRAM
Embedded DRAM (eDRAM) is dynamic random-access memory (DRAM) integrated on the same die or multi-chip module (MCM) of an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or microprocessor. eDRAM's cost-per-bit is higher when compared to equivale ...
and Samsung's 2
Gb NAND flash
Flash memory is an Integrated circuit, electronic Non-volatile memory, non-volatile computer memory storage medium that can be electrically erased and reprogrammed. The two main types of flash memory, NOR flash and NAND flash, are named for t ...
memory.
IBM demonstrated a 90nm
silicon-on-insulator
In semiconductor manufacturing, silicon on insulator (SOI) technology is fabrication of silicon semiconductor devices in a layered silicon–insulator–silicon substrate (materials science), substrate, to reduce parasitic capacitance within the d ...
(SOI)
CMOS
Complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor (CMOS, pronounced "sea-moss
", , ) is a type of MOSFET, metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) semiconductor device fabrication, fabrication process that uses complementary an ...
process, with development led by Shahidi, in 2002. The same year, Intel demonstrated a 90nm
strained-silicon process. Fujitsu commercially introduced its 90nm process in 2003
followed by TSMC in 2004.
Gurtej Singh Sandhu of Micron Technology initiated the development of
atomic layer deposition
Atomic layer deposition (ALD) is a thin-film deposition technique based on the sequential use of a gas-phase chemical process; it is a subclass of chemical vapour deposition. The majority of ALD reactions use two chemicals called wiktionary:precu ...
high-k
films
A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of Visual arts, visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are gen ...
for
DRAM
Dram, DRAM, or drams may refer to:
Technology and engineering
* Dram (unit), a unit of mass and volume, and an informal name for a small amount of liquor, especially whisky or whiskey
* Dynamic random-access memory, a type of electronic semicondu ...
memory devices. This helped drive cost-effective implementation of
semiconductor memory
Semiconductor memory is a digital electronic semiconductor device used for digital data storage, such as computer memory. It typically refers to devices in which data is stored within metal–oxide–semiconductor (MOS) memory cells on a si ...
, starting with 90nm
node
In general, a node is a localized swelling (a "knot") or a point of intersection (a vertex).
Node may refer to:
In mathematics
* Vertex (graph theory), a vertex in a mathematical graph
*Vertex (geometry), a point where two or more curves, lines ...
DRAM.
Intel's 90nm process has a transistor density of 1.45 million transistors per square millimeter (MTr/mm2).
Example: Elpida 90 nm DDR2 SDRAM process
Elpida Memory's 90 nm
DDR2 SDRAM
Double Data Rate 2 Synchronous Dynamic Random-Access Memory (DDR2 SDRAM) is a double data rate (DDR) synchronous dynamic random-access memory (SDRAM) interface. It is a JEDEC standard (JESD79-2); first published in September 2003. DDR2 succeed ...
process.
* Use of 300 mm wafer size
* Use of KrF (248 nm) lithography with
optical proximity correction
* 512 Mbit
* 1.8 V operation
* Derivative of earlier 110 nm and 100 nm processes
Processors using 90 nm process technology
* Sony/Toshiba
EE+
GS (
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October, in Europe on 24 Novembe ...
) - 2003
* Sony/Toshiba/IBM
Cell Processor - 2005
* IBM
PowerPC G5 970FX - 2004
* IBM
PowerPC G5 970MP - 2005
* IBM
PowerPC G5 970GX - 2005
* IBM
"Waternoose" Xbox 360 Processor - 2005
* Intel
Pentium 4
Pentium 4 is a series of single-core central processing unit, CPUs for Desktop computer, desktops, laptops and entry-level Server (computing), servers manufactured by Intel. The processors were shipped from November 20, 2000 until August 8, 20 ...
Prescott - 2004-02
* Intel
Celeron
Celeron is a series of IA-32 and x86-64 computer microprocessor, microprocessors targeted at low-cost Personal computer, personal computers, manufactured by Intel from 1998 until 2023.
The first Celeron-branded CPU was introduced on April 15, ...
D Prescott-256 - 2004-05
* Intel
Pentium M
The Pentium M is a family of mobile 32-bit single-core x86 microprocessors (with the modified Intel P6 (microarchitecture), P6 microarchitecture) introduced in March 2003 and forming a part of the Intel Centrino#Carmel platform (2003), Carmel no ...
Dothan - 2004-05
* Intel
Celeron
Celeron is a series of IA-32 and x86-64 computer microprocessor, microprocessors targeted at low-cost Personal computer, personal computers, manufactured by Intel from 1998 until 2023.
The first Celeron-branded CPU was introduced on April 15, ...
M
Dothan-1024 - 2004-08
* Intel
Xeon
Xeon (; ) is a brand of x86 microprocessors designed, manufactured, and marketed by Intel, targeted at the non-consumer workstation, server, and embedded markets. It was introduced in June 1998. Xeon processors are based on the same archite ...
Nocona, Irwindale, Cranford, Potomac, Paxville - 2004-06
* Intel
Pentium D Smithfield - 2005-05
* AMD
Athlon 64
The Athlon 64 is a ninth-generation, AMD64-architecture microprocessor produced by Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), released on September 23, 2003. It is the third processor to bear the name ''Athlon'', and the immediate successor to the Athlon XP. ...
Winchester, Venice, San Diego, Orleans - 2004-10
* AMD
Athlon 64 X2 Manchester, Toledo, Windsor - 2005-05
* AMD
Sempron
Sempron has been the marketing name used by AMD for several different budget desktop CPUs, using several different technologies and CPU socket formats. The Sempron replaced the AMD Duron processor and competed against Intel's Celeron#Celeron D (Pr ...
Palermo and Manila - 2004-08
* AMD
Turion 64
AMD Turion is the brand name AMD applies to its x86-64 low-power consumption mobile processors codenamed ''K8L''. The Turion 64 and Turion 64 X2/Ultra processors compete with Intel's mobile processors, initially the '' Pentium M'' and the In ...
Lancaster and Richmond - 2005-03
*
NVIDIA
Nvidia Corporation ( ) is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Santa Clara, California, and incorporated in Delaware. Founded in 1993 by Jensen Huang (president and CEO), Chris Malachowsky, and Curti ...
GeForce 8800 GTS (G80) - 2006
* AMD
Turion 64 X2
AMD Turion is the brand name AMD applies to its x86-64 low-power consumption mobile processors codenamed ''K8L''. The Turion 64 and Turion 64 X2/Ultra processors compete with Intel Corporation, Intel's mobile processors, initially the ''Pentium ...
Taylor and Trinidad - 2006-05
* AMD
Opteron Venus, Troy, and Athens - 2005-08
* AMD Dual-core
Opteron Denmark, Italy, Egypt, Santa Ana, and Santa Rosa
*
VIA C7 - 2005-05
* Loongson (Godson)
2Е STLS2E02 - 2007-04
* Loongson (Godson)
2F STLS2F02 - 2008-07
*
MCST-4R - 2010-12
*
Elbrus-2S+
Elbrus-2S+ () is a Multi-core processor, multi-core microprocessor based on the Elbrus 2000 architecture developed by Moscow Center of SPARC Technologies (MCST). There are multiple reports regarding the evolution of this technology for the pur ...
- 2011-11
See also
References
External links
PC World ReviewReview ITworldAMDFujitsu
{{DEFAULTSORT:90 Nanometre
2004 introductions
*00090
American inventions