2 ms·
Not sure. You can fix the transistors but leave the connections between them open for flexibility, so you only need to change the manufacturing process for the
by amelius 3mo ago
Not sure. You can fix the transistors but leave the connections between them open for flexibility, so you only need to change the manufacturing process for the upper masks for every new model.
- sroussey 3mo agoOr do a hybrid
- tsujamin 3mo agoSurely that added flexibility negatively impacts the density/parameter count of the model you could etch?
- tliltocatl 3mo agoI think they already do that, except it's not 1980 so you don't fix the upper mask, you fix the lowest metal layer (the upper layer is very coarse and is only useful for power). But even a single mask is still quite expensive.
- amelius 3mo agoBut I suppose the interconnect masks don't have the resolution requirements of the masks for transistors. Therefore it could be a lot cheaper. (Yes, you could fix a number of masks, e.g. entire logic gates, of course).