TSMC Launches 2nm Chip Offering 2nm Chip in Early 26 Years, Prospects First Customers Apple and Intel
🟦Is TSMC’s next-generation 2nm process going well?
TSMC, the largest semiconductor contract manufacturing company, commented on its earnings call that the development of the 2nm process is progressing well. Risk production is scheduled to begin in 2024 and mass production is scheduled to begin at the end of 2025. The first customers to adopt the chip are expected to be Apple and Intel.
2nm process
Development of semiconductor processes is progressing with major nodes that are updated every 2 to 3 years and improvement nodes. TSMC’s latest major node is the 5nm process, which is expected to feature next-generation 3nm processes in the second half of 2022.
- TSMC Major Nodes
- 2018~ 7nm Process Family
- 「N7」「N7P」「N7+」「N6」
- 2020~5nm Process Family
- 「N5」「N5P」「N4」「N4P」「N4X」
- 2022~3nm Process Family
- 2025~? 2nm Process Family
- 2018~ 7nm Process Family
🟦 Adoption of a new transistor GAA structure
TSMC’s 2nm process will change the transistor structure from the current mainstream FinFET to GAA (gate-all-around). FinFETs, which flow current horizontally, are approaching the limit of miniaturization. Therefore, it is predicted that advanced processes will shift to a GAA structure in which current flows vertically to each company. TSMC will adopt the GAA structure not from the next-generation 3nm process, but from the next-generation 2nm process. In other words, TSMC believes that the EUV lithography FinFET adopted from the 7nm process will remain competitive until 2025.
Rivals Samsung Electronics and Intel’s GAA
GAA is called MBCFET by Samsung Electronics and RibbonFET by Intel. Samsung Electronics plans to adopt GAA in mass production of the 3nm process, which will start in 2022. Intel plans to adopt RibbonFET on IntelA, which is scheduled for the first half of 2024.
- Timing of introduction of GAA
- 2022〜 Samsung Electronics
- 2024 – Intel
- 2025 – TSMC
TSMC, which leads as a foundry of advanced processes, plans to introduce the new GAA structure after firmly establishing mass production technology.
🟦Summary
TSMC will carefully adopt GAA-structured transistors at 2nm from 2025.
Samsung Electronics, which follows TSMC in its foundry business, plans to be among the first to introduce GAA in its 3nm process in 2022. There are rumors that GAA is struggling to keep its yield up, but they are actively taking risks.
