2004 - the year of 90-nm: a review of 90 nm devices

The year 2004 saw the introduction of the first 90-nm process node devices into the marketplace. This node is notable not only for the expected reduction in feature sizes, but also for the more general adoption of low-k dielectric layers, and the first use of nickel silicide and strained silicon. Chipworks, as a supplier of competitive intelligence to the semiconductor and electronics industries, monitors the evolution of chip processes as they come into commercial production. Chipworks has obtained parts from leading edge manufacturers, and performed structural analyses to examine the features and manufacturing processes of the devices. The paper shows how "90 nm" has been interpreted by various vendors, details the physical transistor structures we have analyzed, and comments on the introduction of strain into CMOS processing