Not sure if Intel has other problems, but there are limits to how small things can get with a particular wavelength of light. DUV (deep ultraviolet) is at 193nm. They've been able to etch significantly smaller than the wavelength by using immersion (water has a higher index of refraction) and some fancy tricks with multiple exposures under different masks (multi-patterning). But all that had to be done because there were no suitable light sources with shorter wavelength. EUV (extreme ultraviolet) has a wavelength of only 13.5nm so a lot of complexity will go away when it comes on line. However EUV still has some challenges ahead and will probably be deployed slowly. Then, shortly after the introduction of EUV, there are other physical limits around 5nm. The lithography end-game is very near.
It's been really amazing to watch this progression for several decades. The end was declared near a number of times but people always found ways to keep going, but I truly believe it's almost over this time.
It's been really amazing to watch this progression for several decades. The end was declared near a number of times but people always found ways to keep going, but I truly believe it's almost over this time.