[Hardware] What is this node, lithography and transistor in a processor?

[FNX Magokiler]

Within the world of computing there are hundreds of terms and words that are used daily. Surely, you have seen terms such as node, lithography or transistor in many of the news, but you don't know what they mean. We are going to explain to you in a very simple way what these terms mean within processors and graphics cards, and what their importance is.

These terms usually appear when talking about different families of processors. In addition, it is also often mentioned when talking about graphics cards, specifically the GPU. But, you should know that they are common parameters for any electronic product made with silicon.

These terms may appear on NAND Flash memories used for SSDs or mobile storage. Also in memory chips for RAM, motherboard controllers or chipset and, in short, any chip on the market that you can imagine.

Three parameters that are of enormous importance
The first thing you should know is that the terms node, lithography and transistor are directly linked. Transistor is the most basic electrical component of any processor. Node refers to the size of the transistor. Lithography refers to the manufacturing process.

The transistor, the basis of computing
When you want to enter the subway there are doors that prevent you from doing so. If you want them to open to access the subway, you must swipe a ticket or card.

A transistor is a semiconductor that lets current flow when it receives another current. Come on, it works very similar to the subway barriers.

 

 

To pass you must insert the bill and in a transistor, for the current to pass, there must be another current that excites it and allows the current to pass.

Transistors have three parts: collector, base and emitter. For a current to flow between the collector and the emitter, a current must exist in the base. Something interesting that you should know is that the base current is usually very small, so the current that circulates between the collector and the emitter will always be greater.

Although they have different modes of operation, in computing they act like a switch. When the base does not receive electrical current, it does not allow the signal to pass between the collector and the emitter. If a current reaches the base, then it allows the signal to pass between the collector and the emitter.

Hence, computers operate in binary (ones and zeros) since they are made up of billions of tiny switches.

The node or size of the transistor
Now that we have a basic idea of how the transistor works, let's talk about a very important parameter: size. The importance of their size lies in the fact that the smaller they are, the greater quantity of them we can have. The larger the number of these, the greater the number of operations they can perform and, therefore, the greater the power.

Whenever we talk about the node or size of the transistors, we talk about nanometers (nm). To give you an idea, 1 centimeter is equivalent to 10,000,000 nanometers.

 

https://hardzone.es/noticias/procesadores/nodo-litografia-transistor-procesadores/