R-E-S-P-E-C-T
Last week, I mentioned that Matsushita might not be getting the respect they deserved with a 45nm process obliterated by Intel’s shadow. I also should acknowledge that I was one of the doubters and expected Intel to not only get to 45nm first but with a considerable lead on second place. Well it turns out that the speculation by Engadget and others coming out of CEATEC was correct. Matsushita (or Panasonic) not only has a real 45nm logic process, but they beat Intel to the market!
Matsushita doesn’t bother with high-k gate dielectrics or metal gate electrodes at 45nm, but they achieve the transistor packing density of the latest technology node. In fact, the Matsushita process beats Intel’s tightest metal pitches. The DVD decoder chip is a complex SoC with over 300 small SRAM arrays scattered around the die. A compact die size of 68 square millimeters certainly would not be possible without a small bit cell design, and Matsushita’s SRAM cell size matches up with Intel. With slightly tighter than 140nm pitch at metals one through four, Matsushita actually has a slight edge over Intel’s 150nm observed pitch.
The UniPhier SoC is truly built to reduce silicon die area and cost. Believe it or not, Panasonic uses it in a video player with a VHS tape bay. That’s something old along with the new in the DMR-XW200V Blu-Ray player. There could be something borrowed as well, but we are still analyzing the device, and I’m not a lawyer.
Finally, let me extend a sincere apology to Matsushita for underestimating their prowess in process technology as well as a hearty congratulations for being the first manufacturer of 45nm logic technology.
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