Handel Jones, International Business Strategies Inc.
EETimes (3/27/2014 05:05 PM EDT)
The semiconductor industry's growth has historically depended on a reduction in cost per transistor with each migration to smaller dimensions, but next-generation chips will not deliver this cost reduction. The impact of this situation is one of the most serious challenges the industry has faced within the last 20-30 years.
Specifically, next-generation 20nm bulk high-K metal gate CMOS and 16/14nm FinFET process will deliver smaller transistors. However, they will also have a higher cost per gate than today's 28nm bulk HKMG CMOS.