1. Purpose and scope
Technology Definition is where the node stops being a research concept and becomes a commitment. The team fixes what the node will offer to the products that will use it: the performance, power and density targets, the menu of devices such as core logic transistors at several threshold voltages, input and output devices, passives and memory bit cells, the metal stack and its pitches, and the intent of the design rules. Each target must trace to customer and market needs, and together they must be achievable with the concept chosen in pathfinding.
The stage also sets the economics. Manufacturing builds the cost of ownership model from the mask count, tool set, materials and expected throughput, and the business team turns it into the technology business case and investment plan. Because design teams need to start thinking about the node long before silicon is mature, the PDK team releases an early access design kit with target device models and draft rules, clearly labelled with its limits, so internal teams and selected partners can run design studies and plan early IP.
In scope: the technology definition, device targets, the final DTCO study and design rule intent, the patterning options study, the cost of ownership model, the business case, the investment plan, a first capacity plan, the early access PDK and the early customer engagement list. Out of scope: developing the unit processes to capability, which is the work of Process Module Development.
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