3 ms·
Leading-edge fab nodes are way too costly for this kind of use. Specialty, low-volume chips are the domain of trailing-edge tech nodes, sometimes even at the μ
by zozbot234 2y ago
Leading-edge fab nodes are way too costly for this kind of use. Specialty, low-volume chips are the domain of trailing-edge tech nodes, sometimes even at the μm level. Besides as some sibling comments mentioned, contact pads for off-chip wires would get so big as to ultimately take up most of the area, so there would be no real advantage to using the finer nodes.
- pclmulqdq 2y agoMost microcontrollers today are using 40-90 nm processes. That's not the micron level at all. Chips that need current-handling capabilities or have weird needs will use bigger process nodes. This is a big part of why automotive electronics use old nodes.
- amelius 2y agoYou're thinking of power mosfets, but automobiles have entertainment systems too.
- pclmulqdq 2y agoThe power electronics are more complicated than MOSFETs, and the entertainment systems use chips on modern process nodes. The main use I can see for MCUs/MPUs on old process nodes is replacement parts for 10+ year old equipment.