1 μm process

The 1 μm process (1 micrometer process) is a level of MOSFET semiconductor process technology that was commercialized around the 1984–1986 timeframe,^[1][2] by companies like NTT, NEC, Intel and IBM. It was the first process where CMOS was common (as opposed to NMOS).

The 1 μm process refers to the minimum size that could be reliably produced. The smallest transistors and other circuit elements on a chip made with this process were around 1 micrometers wide.

The earliest MOSFET with a 1 μm NMOS channel length was fabricated by a research team led by Robert H. Dennard, Hwa-Nien Yu and F.H. Gaensslen at the IBM T.J. Watson Research Center in 1974.^[3]

Products featuring 1.0 μm manufacturing process

• NTT introduced the 1 μm process for its DRAM memory chips, including its 64k in 1979 and 256k in 1980.^[4]
• NEC's 1 Mbit DRAM memory chip was manufactured with the 1 μm process in 1984.^[5]
• Intel 80386 CPU launched in 1985 was manufactured using this process.^[1]
• Intel uses this process on the CHMOS III-E technology.^[6]
• Intel uses this process on the CHMOS IV technology.^[7]