A 30 Year Retrospective on Dennard's MOSFET Scaling Paper

Abstract

The MOSFET scaling principles for obtaining simultaneous improvements in transistor density, switching speed, and power dissipation described by Robert H. Dennard and others in "Design of Ion-implanted MOSFETs with Very Small Physical Dimensions" (1974 ) became a roadmap for the semiconductor industry to provide systematic and predictable transistor improvements. New technology generations emerging approximately every three years during the 1970's and 1980's and appearing every other year starting in the mid-1990's, promise to continue although we face growing challenges.