how are CPUs made and other related things

Question

* How are CPUs made?
* Who are the big players / future big players in the industry.
* Why is 3nm better than 14nm?
* What happens after you can’t go smaller e.g. 1nm, 0.5 nm, 0.25 nm, where is the end and what happens afterward?

In: 0

Answer 1

I’m probably a bit behind on the ever-evolving technology but:

1. The circuitry of a CPU is silicon etched in place with light. Search photolithography for details.
2. Intel, Qualcomm, and Taiwan Semiconductor (TSMC)
3. It takes less time for an electrical current to go 3nm vs 14nm, so the chip is faster, and the individual transistors are smaller so more can be fit in the same space.
4. We are rapidly approaching the point where the size of a silicon atom is becoming a limiting factor. A Silicon atom is roughly 0.2nm and you need an unbroken chain of them to form a circuit.