Semiconductor industry and market

Which appropriately describes generation names (node names) of advanced processes such as the '3 nm generation'?

  1. AThey mean the gate length is exactly 3 nm
  2. BThey mean the wafer thickness is 3 nm
  3. CIn recent years, they have become generation labels that do not necessarily match physical dimensions such as actual gate length
Show answer and explanation

Answer: C. In recent years, they have become generation labels that do not necessarily match physical dimensions such as actual gate length

Process generation names once roughly corresponded to dimensions such as gate length, but after the introduction of FinFETs and other changes, recent generation names have become labels indicating gains in performance and density, not directly tied to actual dimensions. The same name can mean different densities at different companies.

Practice this topic Back to topic

More Semiconductor industry and market questions

  1. What is the scheme called in which a foundry puts designs from several customers on one wafer (one mask set) for prototyping?
  2. Which appropriately describes investment in advanced semiconductor fabs?
  3. What is an LSI called that integrates functions a system needs, such as a CPU, GPU, memory controller and communications, on a single chip?
  4. What is an LSI called that is custom-designed for a specific application or customer?
  5. Which category of semiconductor products, such as diodes, single transistors and power MOSFETs, performs a single function on its own?