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From 2007 to 2008: How does 45nm technology reshape the future of chip manufacturing?
Advances in chip technology often change the face of an entire industry, especially when so-called "process technology nodes" evolve rapidly over a few years. With the widespread implementation of 45nm process between 2007 and 2008, this period became a turning point for the semiconductor industry. From the mass production of Matsushita and Intel to the subsequent follow-up of AMD, the commercialization of this new technology has laid the foundation for our digital life.
The 45-nanometer process marks a major advancement in semiconductor manufacturing technology, and this advancement will have a profound impact on future developments.
In late 2007, Matsushita and Intel began mass production of 45-nanometer chips, followed by AMD in 2008. During this process, many companies including IBM, Mingbang, Samsung and Chartered Semiconductor have completed a common 45nm process platform.
Looking further, the introduction of this process not only brought about technological innovation, but also brought many new opportunities at the application level. At the end of 2008, China's Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC) became the first Chinese semiconductor company to use 45-nanometer technology, further demonstrating the globalization trend of this technology.
Many critical feature sizes are smaller than the wavelength of light used for lithography, forcing the semiconductor community to explore new technologies to address manufacturing challenges.
The semiconductor industry has undergone tremendous changes in complexity, especially in the application of lithography technology. Although the 193nm wavelength of light is still applicable at this stage, many technologies have evolved to reduce feature size, such as the use of larger lenses and the introduction of double patterning technology. The emergence of these new technologies is not only applied to the 45nm process, but also further promotes the development of smaller technology nodes in the future.
On the other hand, the introduction of high-κ dielectric materials in the 45nm process has attracted great attention from wafer foundries. Although it faced some initial challenges, IBM and Intel announced in 2007 that they had mastered the technology and put it on the market. This milestone means that the design concept of semiconductors has undergone significant changes, providing new possibilities for future technological development.
The introduction of high-κ materials not only helps to reduce leakage current density, but is also an innovative measure for the entire transistor design.
As technology develops, more companies are starting to conduct technology demonstrations. TSMC demonstrated a 45-nanometer SRAM cell of 0.296 square microns in 2004, and quickly entered the 40-nanometer process stage in 2008. These developments not only highlight the evolution of technology, but also enable 45nm process to support many mainstream brands, from Xbox to PlayStation 3, showing the wide application potential of this technology.
Commercial promotion began in 2007, when Matsushita took the lead in mass production of system-on-chip (SoC) products based on 45nm technology. This was followed by the launch of the Xeon 5400 series processors by Intel in November 2007. These advances marked the continued realization of Moore's Law and the realization of the dream of high-performance computing.
With the advent of the 45-nanometer process, transistor density has reached an astounding 3.33 million transistors per square millimeter.
With the gradual promotion of 45nm process, AMD also launched various product lines of its 8-core processor at the end of 2008, further expanding its market influence. There is no doubt that the technological breakthroughs of this period will become the cornerstone of higher digital processing capabilities in the future. This shows that the chip manufacturing industry has demonstrated the close relationship between technological innovation and commercialization, a relationship that is particularly evident in the promotion of 45 nanometers.
Such a technological evolution is not only a business opportunity, but also a prelude to more efficient and environmentally friendly chip designs in the future. As chip technology advances at a rapid pace, what kind of innovations will emerge in the future to meet the ever-changing market demands?
