Many fabs are experimenting with new and novel technologies such as nanosheets whereas others are trying to find a workaround to take finFETs to 3 nm. What will come after current finFETs, however, is not yet known. On the other hand, other companies will be forced to adopt new technologies due to the nature of their processors. In the interim, it’s likely that some fabs will stay with the same node for longer for economic reasons. Given that many foundries have already reached this process and are steaming ahead towards 3 nm, it won’t be long until we’re moving on to its successor. The technology isn’t expected to be much use beyond the 5 nm process. Three-dimensional profile leads to higher parasiticsĪ new generation of DC/DC converters Running out of steamĪlthough finFETs have had a great run, they’re quickly growing tired and will stop scaling.In contrast to a traditional two-dimensional planar transistor, the finFET (fin field-effect transistor) is a three-dimensional transistor with an elevated channel (‘fin’) which the gate wraps around. One of the key technology trends that has driven the semiconductor industry and made today’s chips possible is the adoption of finFET processes. This is a far cry from the processors of the mid-1970s that had just a few thousand transistors, something which at the time was cutting-edge. With foundries developing more and more advanced process nodes to meet the demand from consumers, the transistor count on today’s advanced processors goes into the tens of billions. And it’s safe to say that this observation has held true.

Since the breakthrough of semiconductors and throughout the history of integrated circuit design, Moore’s law-the observation that the number of transistors on a piece of silicon will double every two years-has remained the same.

Fin field effect transistor