AMD, IBM develop 45nm high-k metal gate transistor

Author: Richard Swinburne
Published: 30th July 2007

Close up gate shots taken with an electron microscope. Very tiny indeed.

AMD and IBM have joined forces to make something Intel announced six months ago: high-k metal gate transistor technology for their jointly developed 45nm process.

Intel does have the edge with its Halfnium-Oxide based insulator whereas the AMD-IBM combo will continue to use strained silicon technology.

Their 45nm process is highlighted to have a lower current leakage and higher capacitance of transistors, for a lower power usage and improved performance.

Interestingly it's only planned for second generation 45nm and the first generation 32nm technology processes. Therefore, it seems like AMD's Shanghai core - its first 45nm core, coming next year - will still use traditional manufacturing technologies.

This means Intel will be 12-18 months ahead at least, when it comes to the introduction of its 45nm technology with similar high-k metal gate technology used for its Penryn family of processors later this year.

When will the size reduction end: can we still achieve 25nm and below come 2010 onwards? Your thoughts are always welcome in the bit-tech community forums.