Intel has revealed the roadmap of its process and packaging innovations that will power the next wave of products through 2025 and beyond.

Intel announced its two breakthrough process technologies. RibbonFET is Intel's implementation of a gate-all-around transistor, and will be the company's first new transistor architecture since it pioneered FinFET in 2011. PowerVia is Intel's industry-first implementation of backside power delivery, optimizing signal transmission by eliminating the need for power routing on the front side of the wafer.

Besides, Intel introduced a new naming structure for its process nodes, creating a clear and consistent framework to give customers a more accurate view of process nodes across the industry. This clarity is more important than ever with the launch of Intel Foundry Services, the company noted.

The Intel 7 is the new name of an enhanced version of Intel's 10nm SuperFin process, with the former delivering an approximately 10% to 15% performance-per-watt increase versus the latter. Intel 7 will be featured in products such as Alder Lake for client in 2021 and Sapphire Rapids for the data center, which is expected to be in production in the first quarter of 2022.

Intel 4, formally known as Intel's 7nm process, fully embraces EUV lithography to print small features using ultra-short wavelength light. With an approximately 20% performance-per-watt increase, along with area improvements, Intel 4 will be ready for production in the second half of 2022 for products shipping in 2023, including Meteor Lake for client and Granite Rapids for the data center.

Intel 3 leverages further FinFET optimizations and increased EUV to deliver an approximately 18% performance-per-watt increase over Intel 4, along with additional area improvements. Intel 3 will be ready to begin manufacturing products in the second half of 2023.

Intel also introduced Intel 20A, which ushers in the angstrom era with RibbonFET and PowerVia. The process, which is expected to ramp in 2024, has attracted orders from Qualcomm.

Beyond Intel 20A, Intel 18A is already in development for early 2025 with refinements to RibbonFET that will deliver another major jump in transistor performance, the company indicated. Intel is also working to define, build and deploy next-generation High NA EUV, and expects to receive the first production tool in the industry. Intel said it is partnering closely with ASML to assure the success of this industry breakthrough beyond the current generation of EUV.

"We led the transition to strained silicon at 90nm, to high-k metal gates at 45nm and to FinFET at 22nm. Intel 20A will be another watershed moment in process technology with two groundbreaking innovations: RibbonFET and PowerVia," said Ann Kelleher, company senior VP and GM of technology development.

In addition, Intel reiterated its continued leadership in advanced 3D packaging innovations with Foveros Omni and Foveros Direct. Foveros Omni allows die disaggregation, mixing multiple top die tiles with multiple base tiles across mixed fab nodes, and is expected to be ready for volume manufacturing in 2023. Foveros Direct is complementary to Foveros Omni and is also expected to be ready in 2023. Foveros Direct moves to direct copper-to-copper bonding for low-resistance interconnects and blurs the boundary between where the wafer ends and where the package begins. Foveros Direct enables sub-10-micron bump pitches, providing an order of magnitude increase in the interconnect density for 3D stacking.

"The innovations unveiled today will not only enable Intel's product roadmap; they will also be critical for our foundry customers," said company CEO Pat Gelsinger. "The interest in IFS has been strong and I'm thrilled that today we announced our first two major customers."

AWS will be another customers of IFS adopting Intel's advanced packaging solutions. With Intel's new IDM 2.0 strategy, packaging is becoming even more important to realizing the benefits of Moore's Law, according to Gelsinger.