Noob Question: What does the "nm" mean?

[Shah]

I badly want to know what does the "nm" (as in 32nm, 22nm, 45nm, 65nm) means? Can someone throw lights on this topic?

Thanks in Advance...!

 

[v.Na5h]

nanometer...

 

[d6bmg]

Quoted from wikipedia: "It is average half-pitch (i.e., half the distance between identical features) of a memory cell at this technology level."

For detailed info, look at this: Semiconductor device fabrication - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[dude_gamer]

nm = nanometer, (its unit of measurement like meter,centimeter)
1nm = 10^(-9) m
e.g 32nm = 32 X 10^(-9) m
22nm = 22 X 10^(-9) m
and so on......

 

[Sainatarajan]

It is MICRON .

 

[AcceleratorX]

Manufacturing Process technology. It refers to the distance between identical components on the fabricated chip (such as transistors, resistors, capacitors, diodes, etc.).
Smaller the nanometre value, more the chip density. This results in either space savings (lower size of chip) or additional speed and functionality (due to higher amount of circuitry that can be packed into the same size of chip).

Chip design and manufacture gets more and more complicated the smaller you get on the process scale. This is because material properties change on the nanoscale leading to less than desirable electrical and mechanical characteristics. That is why chips on smaller processes often run hot or are delayed since it takes time to perfect the technology.

 

[amruth kiran]

simply put either technologically or otherwise, its just a measure of distance. quite advanced now with the above mentioned chips. but as acceleratorx said, smaller doesnt mean better.