
GlobalFoundries Details 7 nm Plans: Three Generations, 700 mm², HVM in 2018 - vanburen
http://www.anandtech.com/show/11558/globalfoundries-details-7-nm-plans-three-generations-700-mm-hvm-in-2018
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leggomylibro
Seeing these advances in feature size always makes me wonder: is there a guide
anywhere for making your own, maybe mm-scale, dies? Would the physics work at
that large scale? It could be a cool way to demonstrate the concepts.

Like, you can make your own capacitors by rolling up two interleaved sheets of
baking paper and aluminum foil. Because of the large scale of the gap between
the conductive layers, you'll have trouble breaking a few nF of capacitance.
It will likely withstand tens of kilovolts, however, because the parchment
barrier is thick and hardy compared to what is used in your average
electrolytic capacitor.

~~~
tachyonbeam
I think that making semiconductors is unfortunately out of the reach of
hobbyists. You'd have to grow purified crystals (or buy them), slice and
polish them, etc. The various processes needed for lithography involve toxic
chemicals too AFAIK. That being said, if you want to make your own large-scale
CPU, you can still build one out of discrete 74-series logic, individual
transistors, or relays. Takes a lot of dedication, but that is entirely within
your reach.

A fun example of a CPU built with discrete SMD transistors, the monster 6502
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQIwS2GzXLI](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQIwS2GzXLI)

There's also the MegaProcessor:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNa9bQRPMB8](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNa9bQRPMB8)

Zusie relay computer: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXeBR-
lbnjI](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXeBR-lbnjI)

~~~
frozenport
Or you can make it in HDL and pay somebody to fab it

~~~
chocolatebunny
So what's the cheapest fab in the world?

Maybe I should just stick with FPGAs.

~~~
mavendependency
[https://youtu.be/Pt9i2ABe_mE](https://youtu.be/Pt9i2ABe_mE)

[http://ifdl.jp/make_lsi/](http://ifdl.jp/make_lsi/)

[http://hackaday.com/2016/10/13/blinking-an-led-extreme-
editi...](http://hackaday.com/2016/10/13/blinking-an-led-extreme-edition/)

[http://www.slideshare.net/junichiakita9/intorudction-to-
make...](http://www.slideshare.net/junichiakita9/intorudction-to-makelsi)

 _There some projects to realize low-cost, short turn-around-time LSI
fabrication at slightly old process, such as 1um, in Japan, whose name is
Minimal Fab._ _This will enable the (commercial) LSI fabrication service at a
few hundred USD cost and 1-week TAT. I believe this a revolution similar to
that happened in PCB world in ten years ago._

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smilekzs
Did they just beat Intel?

[http://www.anandtech.com/show/11112/intel-to-equip-
fab-42-fo...](http://www.anandtech.com/show/11112/intel-to-equip-
fab-42-for-7-nm)

~~~
Armisael16
You can't compare numbers across fabs anymore. Die size is basically marketing
at this point.

~~~
mtgx
They seem to have beaten Intel in adopting EUV lithography at least. IBM's 5nm
gate-all-around FET (GAAFET) process, which GloFlo should be able have ready
for production in 2020, also looks very interesting.

[https://www-03.ibm.com/press/us/en/pressrelease/52531.wss](https://www-03.ibm.com/press/us/en/pressrelease/52531.wss)

~~~
deepnotderp
They're only using EUV for a, couple of layers. Intel is using SADP (or SAQP),
that should be able to hold its own.

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SemiTom
Interview with GF CTO here [https://semiengineering.com/inside-fd-soi-
scaling/](https://semiengineering.com/inside-fd-soi-scaling/)

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azinman2
Thinking about the recent HN link to the article about the toxicity of
photoresisters. Would love to know the environmental / workplace toxicity
ramifications (or if it’s just business as usual...)

~~~
jacquesm
You can look those up easily enough:

[http://www.msds.com/](http://www.msds.com/)

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deepnotderp
Interesting, I wonder if the reticle limit is smaller on EUV litho machines,
that would explain their smaller maximum die size compared to 193i immersion
steppers.

~~~
sliverstorm
Not knowing for sure, I'd wonder if it's limited by EUV power output. The main
challenge has always been, how to produce enough light. Whereas with regular
litho, your reticle limit is a function of how expensive the lens is.

~~~
deepnotderp
Definitely, I think this is the issue. You're definitely right that the
problem with EUV is how to get a strong enough power source.

