Advanced Micro Devices Inc. has begun using a 90-nanometer silicon-on-insulator (SOI) manufacturing process at its Fab30 in Dresden, Germany.
AMD expects commercial shipments of products made using the 90-nm process to begin in the third quarter, Thomas Sunderman, a director of manufacturing technology within AMD’s corporate manufacturing group, said.
The move saves about 40 percent of the die area compared with the established 130-nm process, and should have a similar impact on AMD’s costs until the company introduces 300-mm wafer processing, which is expected in early 2006.
The 90-nm AMD64 is in active pilot mode in Fab 30 and prototype parts are running in systems, Sonderman said. Sonderman added that strained-silicon would be introduced by AMD in the future.
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