Intel clarifies production processes for 14A and 18A chips, and introduces three new packaging technologies.
Intel has shared new details about its 14A production process. It uses ASML’s most advanced lithography machines. The technology should enable smaller, more efficient transistors for the next generation of chips.
High NA EUV: Smaller and More Powerful
Current EUV machines etch transistors with a resolution of 13.5 nanometers, but ASML’s High NA version has a resolution of 8 nanometers. This allows more transistors to be placed on a chip, resulting in better performance and energy efficiency.
Intel 14A reportedly uses PowerDirect, an improved implementation of backside power delivery. To reduce power consumption, power wires are placed under the transistor and directly connected to the source and drain.
Mass Production Still Unknown
Although a launch date is not yet known, Intel says several customers are already working with 14A development kits. Meanwhile, production of the less advanced 18A process is already underway and mass production will start later this year. 18A will have multiple versions: 18A-P for higher performance and 18A-PT to develop processors with multiple stacked chipsets.
In addition to 14A and 18A, Intel is launching three new packaging solutions that allow multiple chiplets to be integrated into a single processor. One of these technologies is EMIB-T, which connects chiplets to each other via small wires. This technology is complemented by two other packaging systems: Foveros-R (for data centers) and Foveros-B (for cost-sensitive devices).