0.25 micron Process Fabrication and Die Size
The first K7 chips will still be produced by AMD's
Austin, Texas-based fab 25, which AMD promises will
shift over to 0.18 micron process in the second half
of '99, but AMD's new Dresden fab 30 in Germany is set
To produce 0.18 micron K7's.
AMD showed off a 600MHz 0.25 micron CPU at CeBit,
demonstrating that their 0.25 process could handle the
higher frequencies. But, don't expect AMD to produce 0.25
micron parts for long. Moving the K7 from the 0.25 micron
process die at a size of 184mm² to the 0.18 micron
process will reduce the die size to a much smaller
104mm². AMD also hopes to move from aluminum
interconnects to faster cooler copper technology later this
year which should provide stability for speeds of 1GHz and
maybe even higher. Yep, that's right folks, 1 GIGAHERTZ!
At 184mm², the 0.25 micron K7 die is bigger than the PIII,
and die size can hold a direct relationship with the pure
speed of the CPU. Larger die chips require more power to
run efficiently and power increases tend to increase heat
which tends to decrease performance.
The large die size presents a few logistical problems as well.
Increased die size means fewer chips per wafer and lower
yields that will no doubt result in initially higher cost to
the consumer. Once the Dresden fab ramps up, the prices should
drop
as production increases. This should hopefully put the K7 into
the
mainstream buyers market before Christmas.
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