Intel in five years (or less) will abandon FinFET to move to GAAFET technology

The Intel CTO, Mike Mayberry during the international VLSI conference, gave a talk called "The Future of Computing." Intel's presentation was mostly about new manufacturing technologies, talking about post-FinFET technologies. Above all, Gate-All-Around structures and even 2D nano-sheets structures have stood out, before abandoning CMOS completely.

GAAFET has been called Nanowire and according to Mayberry it should start mass production in about five years. This new temporary brand of the company represents a different move towards a new manufacturing technology. Such technology should offer significant performance enhancements and will put Intel back in the lead in processor manufacturing processing.

Intel talks about its future manufacturing processes beyond FinFET

Finnish transistors were a way to scale in a system that went beyond a flat transistor. They were a smart solution for increasing density and high-performance logic. Intel currently uses the FinFET design, increasing the size of the fins on each generation of processors.

As with flat transistors, this design has certain limitations between the natural limit and the manufacturing limits. When a certain point is reached, a new transistor manufacturing system must be sought. GAA designs that have been researched by Intel and developed over a decade would now be ready for use.

The GAA system is based on a floating transistor fin that can be small (Nanowire) or wide (Nanosheet). This system allows the stacking of several Nanowire or Nanosheets, increasing the effective width of the transistor. Currently foundries use FinFET, developing the 3nm node in this technology, being similar to Intel's 5nm node.

GAA transistors have the ability to adapt to operational needs. The typical FinFET design allows for a height of 6-7 discrete fins, having an operating current in the fin count. GAA design, on the other hand, is based on stacking, the width of the sheet also influences. The drive current becomes a continuous aspect, allowing space and energy savings at the silicon level.

FinFET only has one power / frequency design within a process node design for a given fin count. GAA allows continuous scale in the design of the transistors.

Source: Anandtech