process node

Process Node (Technology Node) — a naming convention indicating the generation of semiconductor manufacturing technology, historically tied to minimum feature size but now largely a marketing designation.

Historical Meaning

• Originally referred to the physical gate length of transistors
• 180nm node had ~180nm gate length. Direct correspondence
• Correlation broke down below 28nm — "7nm" gates aren't 7nm

Modern Reality

• Node names are marketing terms indicating relative density improvement
• TSMC "5nm" (N5): ~173M transistors/mm$^2$
• TSMC "3nm" (N3): ~292M transistors/mm$^2$
• Intel renamed: Intel 7 ≈ TSMC 7nm density, Intel 4 ≈ TSMC 5nm

What Actually Scales

• Transistor density (primary metric)
• Metal pitch (affects routing density)
• Contacted poly pitch (CPP)
• Minimum metal pitch (MMP)

Node Roadmap (2024-2028)

• 3nm: TSMC N3, Samsung 3GAE (current production)
• 2nm: TSMC N2, Intel 20A, Samsung 2GAP (2025-2026) — GAA transistors
• 1.4nm (A14): Intel 14A (2027+) — backside power delivery

Process nodes drive the industry forward, but comparing across foundries requires looking at actual density metrics, not node names.