What Transistors Will Look Like At 5nm by Mark LaPedus

As finFETs run out of steam after 7nm, what comes next? The debate is just beginning.

August 18th, 2016 - By: Mark LaPedus, Semiconductor Engineering

Chipmakers are currently ramping up 16nm/14nm finFET processes, with 10nm and 7nm just around the corner. The industry also is working on 5nm. TSMC hopes to deliver a 5nm process by 2020. GlobalFoundries, Intel and Samsung are doing R&D for that node.

But 5nm technology presents a multitude of unknowns and challenges. For one thing, the exact timing and specs of 5nm remain cloudy. Then, there are several technical and economic roadblocks. And even if 5nm happens, it’s likely that only a few companies will be able to afford it.

“My current assumption is that 5nm will happen, but it won’t hit high-volume manufacturing until after 2020,” said Bob Johnson, an analyst at Gartner. “If I were to guess, I’d say 2021 to 2022.”

Continue reading at Semiconductor Engineering: http://semiengineering.com/going-to-gate-all-around-fets/ 

I am happy to see that they are using horizontal rather than vertical integration of Nanowires since we have developed an ALE process to realize longitudinal splitting of nanowires at Lund Nano Lab : http://www.blog.baldengineering.com/2016/07/lund-nano-lab-to-present-new-maskless.html

So we could make 10 out of those 5 wires... without Lihorgraphy(!)