There is a good bit on wikipedia about 7nm node
Since 2009, however, “node” has become a commercial name for marketing purposes[6] that indicates new generations of process technologies, without any relation to gate length, metal pitch or gate pitch.[7][8][9] TSMC and Samsung’s 10 nm (10 LPE) processes are somewhere between Intel’s 14 nm and 10 nm processes in transistor density.
But yeah its a trade name for
In semiconductor manufacturing, the International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors defines the 7 nm process as the MOSFET technology node following the 10 nm node. It is based on FinFET (fin field-effect transistor) technology, a type of multi-gate MOSFET technology.
There is practically one firm who has a near monopoly on the lithographic machines that do the etching.
I think its them who conjure up new node process names.
That monopoly might also cause a new silicon shortage as apparently the US has banned them from supplying new node technology and existing to China as TSMC is based in Taiwan
If you look at the new 3nm process https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3_nm_process#3_nm_process_nodes
The Transistor gate pitch (nm) really is >= 40nm
Its sort of approx effective density in die size and efficiency and could be wrong about AMSL but it always seems to be co-ordinated even though the transistor technology might be different so always presumed it was.
Nope reading its https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Roadmap_for_Devices_and_Systems which is https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Technology_Roadmap_for_Semiconductors now minus China
