The advancement that TSMC offered was a new optimized process technology. Kepler is manufactured using TSMC’s 28nm high performance (HP) process, the foundry’s most advanced 28nm process which uses their first-generation high-K metal gate (HKMG) technology and second generation SiGe (Silicon Germanium) straining. HKMG is a process that uses a gate insulator film with a high dielectric constant which reduces power by reducing gate leakage compared to the previous generation SiON gate. SiGe straining is a chemical process to stretch the silicon atoms to improve the mobility or the effective frequency of the transistor. Both technical advances improve the performance per watt of the transistor translating to a more power efficient system.
NVIDIA illustrates power savings of 28nm vs 40nm
Posted on Friday, April 27 2012 @ 19:40 CEST by Thomas De Maesschalck