Recently, I saw the technical exchange group discussing the issue of “about MCU process technology”.
Some people say: mobile phone chips are all 5nm, does MCU have 5nm?
Others said: At present, most MCUs are still 90nm and above 90nm process technology.
In recent years, chips have been a hot topic, and the process technology of chips has become more and more advanced. So, are there MCUs with 5nm process technology?
5nm chips have been available two or three years ago, but it is certain that there are absolutely no MCUs with 5nm process technology on the market, at least none of them have been shipped in batches (I don’t know if there are local tyrants who do 5nm in private. MCU).
As for the reason, I believe that readers who have a certain understanding of the chip production process and process technology can understand it.
First of all, the more advanced the process technology is, the more expensive the price will be. Friends who work in the chip industry should know better.
Originally, the (normal) price of an MCU is not expensive. You need to use a 5nm and 7nm process technology. How expensive and how many do you have to sell to make a return?
Secondly, the demand for MCU does not require a 5nm process technology, at least most applications do not have such a high demand.
In terms of power consumption, the more advanced the process technology, the lower the power consumption. The main frequency of MCUs with large shipments (high demand) on the market is not high, generally tens or hundreds of MHz, and the overall power consumption is relatively low.
Although the power consumption problem can be solved through a more advanced process technology, if the MCU uses the current advanced 5nm process technology, it is a bit “more than the gain”.
Speaking of the mainstream MCU process technology, you must be curious, how many nm is the current mainstream MCU process technology?
According to market information and reports from many research institutions, we can basically know that the current mainstream process technology of MCU is between 90nm and 180nm.
There are also more backward 0.3, 0.5um, of course, there are also more advanced 40nm, or even 28nm.
With the rapid development of technology, many well-known MCU manufacturers have also launched their own 40nm MCUs, such as the new generation of ultra-low power STM32U5 launched by ST last year, which uses 40nm process technology.
There are also 28nm MCUs, but relatively few, mainly used in more demanding fields.
It was reported before that the MCU process technology will be shifted to 28nm to solve the capacity crisis.
I don’t think it’s a solution to the capacity crisis, and the law of market development.
Finally, having said so much, do you care about the process technology of MCU?