7nm

7nm refers to a generation of semiconductor manufacturing processes marketed under the 7-nanometer designation. It is used to describe a family of fabrication technologies rather than a precise physical dimension, and actual feature sizes can vary between vendors and process variants. The name is primarily associated with improvements in transistor density, performance, and power efficiency relative to the preceding generation, rather than a single measured size.

Technologically, 7nm nodes typically rely on FinFET transistors and advanced gate stack materials such as high-k metal gates. Lithography and patterning for multiple layers often required a combination of deep ultraviolet processes and, in some variants, extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography to increase density and reduce manufacturing steps. Variants of the 7nm family have been marketed with different performance and area targets (for example, TSMC’s N7 and N7+ or Samsung’s 7LPP), reflecting ongoing innovations in mask count, layer design, and process integration.

Industry deployment began in the late 2010s, with several major foundries producing 7nm chips. Notable early examples include Apple’s A12 Bionic chip, manufactured on TSMC’s 7nm FinFET process, which highlighted mobile-system-on-a-chip performance and efficiency gains. AMD’s Ryzen 3000 series and related GPUs also used 7nm technology from TSMC, illustrating desktop and high-performance applicability. Samsung and other manufacturers released 7nm variants as well, often branded differently (such as 7LPP) to reflect process optimizations.

In the broader context, 7nm marked a transition toward higher-density, more power-efficient designs, a trend continued by subsequent nodes such as 5nm and 3nm. Because node names are partly marketing, actual performance and density depend on the specific process formulation and manufacturing equipment used.