Advanced transistors (FinFET and GAA)

What is the main purpose of scaling transistors down?

  1. ATo always increase the chip's power consumption
  2. BTo make each transistor larger and heavier
  3. CTo integrate more transistors in the same area and improve performance, power and cost
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Answer: C. To integrate more transistors in the same area and improve performance, power and cost

Smaller transistors allow more circuits to be integrated on a chip of the same area, lowering the cost per transistor. Smaller capacitances also promise higher speed and lower power. This is why semiconductor scaling has continued.

  • A. Scaling generally reduces the power per circuit.
  • B. Scaling means making transistors smaller.
  • C. Correct. Higher integration improves performance, power and cost.
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More Advanced transistors (FinFET and GAA) questions

  1. What does "nanosheet" refer to in a nanosheet GAA transistor?
  2. What does the "k" in "high-k gate dielectric" represent?
  3. For a FinFET whose fin is 50 nm tall and 6 nm wide, which is closest to the effective channel width per fin (the perimeter wrapped by the gate)?
  4. To adequately suppress short-channel effects in a FinFET, what is generally required of the fin width?
  5. In high-k/metal gate transistors, why is a very thin layer such as SiO2 often placed between the silicon and the high-k film (such as hafnium oxide)?