FinFETs are hot this week (no pun intended). Ron Wilson published an article about FinFETs on the EETimes Web site and Daniel Nenni has done the same on his SemiWiki.com site. It’s worthwhile reading, particularly for insights such as these two gems:
“What is the difference between Tri-Gate and FinFet? Tri-Gate is a type of FinFet, FinFet is more of a global term.”
“Tri-Gate manufacturing costs are +2-3%? That would be wafer manufacturing costs, which does not include mask and other prep costs.”
I recommend taking the five minutes needed to read Nenni’s post: “Intel Briefing: Tri-Gate Technology and Atom SoC“
Note: Last month, I wrote a couple of articles on FinFETs, those 3D structures coming to some 20nm chips soon to be near you—like in your PC. See “Are FinFETs inevitable at 20nm? “Yes, no, maybe” says Professor Chenming Hu (Part 1)” and “Are FinFETs inevitable at 20nm? “Yes, no, maybe” says Professor Chenming Hu (Part 2)”.
You can also see “3D Thursday: Intel and FinFETs (Tri-Gate transistors)—a different kind of 3D“
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