2010 R&D 100 Winner
The official 2009 introduction of 32-nm lithography node to the semiconductor industry was an expected milestone in the history of computer processor technology. But the transition, led by the Intel 32nm Process Technology from Intel Corporation, Santa Clara, Calif., required a number of technological breakthroughs before Moore’s Law could be successfully defended.
First, Intel introduced high-k/metal gate transistors—a 2008 R&D 100 Award winner—that were transitioned to the newer, smaller node. When used in conjunction with smaller circuitry features, the new gate technology allowed higher performance with less of the heat-generating electron leak that plagues today’s chip technologies.
The 32nm Process Technology includes the second-generation of the high-k/metal gate architecture, and includes features of the 2010 Intel Core Processor Family including Turbo Boost, which accelerates clock speed 75% to match workloads; Hyper-Threading Technology, which improves performance on certain applications; and Intel’s first central processing unit with an integrated graphics core.
Technology
Semiconductor lithography node
Developer
Intel Corporation
Development Team
The Intel 32nm Process Technology Development Team from Intel Corporation:
Sanjay Natarajan
