Researched
FinFET 3D Transistors
Hu's Berkeley group (DARPA, 1997-2000) turned the flat channel into a vertical fin gated on several sides; Intel shipped it at 22 nm in 2012, and FinFETs carried leading chips until gate-all-around.
Open in the interactive tree →Hitachi built the first fin-type transistor (DELTA) in 1989. DARPA funded Chenming Hu's Berkeley group from 1997, which made a 17 nm n-channel FinFET in 1998 and coined the name in 2000. Because the gate wraps the channel on several sides, it reduces short-channel effects as the channel shrinks. Intel demonstrated tri-gate transistors at 22 nm in 2011 and shipped them in Ivy Bridge in 2012; TSMC, Samsung and GlobalFoundries followed at 14/16 nm in 2013-2014, and Hu received the IEEE Medal of Honor in 2020.
Prerequisites
- MOSFET & CMOS (The Chip Switch)1959FinFET reshapes the MOSFET channel into a vertical fin.
- Moore's Law1965Flat transistors leaked too much current to keep shrinking on schedule.
Unlocks
- 2 nm Chips & High-NA EUV2025Gate-all-around nanosheet transistors extend the FinFET idea of wrapping the gate around the channel.