The package
A world
within.
An entire architecture, hidden in a piece of silicon. Let’s go inside.
Scroll to exploreThe silicon die
Beneath
the surface.
CPU cores, GPU blocks, and memory share the die. Follow the outlined CPU core as we move into its circuitry.
Silicon · thin-film passivationThe circuit blocks
Order at
every scale.
Inside the core, SRAM arrays sit beside rows of logic cells. Follow their local wiring into the outlined metal stack.
Logic cells · memory arraysThe interconnects
A different
kind of skyline.
Layers of metal carry signals over and between the circuits. Vertical connections, called vias, join one layer to the next.
Copper · dielectric · viasThe transistor
It comes down
to a switch.
A gate controls current through a silicon channel. Repeat this tiny idea billions of times, and a computer emerges.
FinFET · illustrative cutaway1 nm ≈ 4.3 Si–Si spacingsAbout four atomic spacings fit in one nanometre.