Semiconductors
Although TSMC can't claim to be the first fab to use extreme UV (EUV) lithography – that title goes to Samsung – they do get to claim to be the largest. As a result, the company has developed significant experience with EUV over the years, allowing TSMC to refine how they use EUV tooling to both improve productivity/uptime, and to cut down on the costs of using the ultra-fine tools. As part of the company's European Technology Symposium this week, they went into a bit more detail on their EUV usage history, and their progress on further integrating EUV into future process nodes. When TSMC started making chips using EUV lithography in 2019 on its N7+ process (for Huawei's HiSilicon), it held 42% of the...
GlobalFoundries Unveils 12LP+ Technology: Massive Performance & Power Improvements
GlobalFoundries has introduced its 12LP+ fabrication process that relies on the groundwork set by its 14LPP and 12LP technologies and provides significant improvements when it comes to performance, power...
41 by Anton Shilov on 9/25/2019TSMC Responds to Lawsuit by GlobalFoundries: Allegations Are Baseless
TSMC has responded to GlobalFoundries accusations of patents infringements. The world’s largest foundry said that it would defend itself in courts and that it considered allegations as baseless. The...
62 by Anton Shilov on 8/27/2019GlobalFoundries Sues TSMC Over Patent Infringement; Apple, Qualcomm, Others Named Defendants
GlobalFoundries has filed a lawsuit against TSMC and its clients in the USA and Germany alleging the world’s largest contract maker of semiconductors of infringing 16 of its patents...
97 by Anton Shilov on 8/26/2019SMIC: 14nm FinFET in Risk Production; China's First FinFET Line To Contribute Revenue by Late 2019
SMIC, the largest contract maker of semiconductors in China, announced this month that it would start commercial production of chips using its 14 nm FinFET manufacturing technology by the...
53 by Anton Shilov on 8/16/2019GlobalFoundries Sells Off Photomask Assets to Toppan
Following its decision to focus on specialized process technologies last August, GlobalFoundries has been consolidating its assets as well as selling off businesses and facilities that are not essential...
20 by Anton Shilov on 8/15/2019Samsung’s Aggressive EUV Plans: 6nm Production in H2, 5nm & 4nm On Track
Samsung Foundry formally started to produce chips using its 7LPP (7 nm low power plus) fabrication process last October and has not slowdown development of its manufacturing technologies since...
42 by Anton Shilov on 7/31/2019TSMC Announces Performance-Enhanced 7nm & 5nm Process Technologies
TSMC has quietly introduced a performance-enhanced version of its 7 nm DUV (N7) and 5 nm EUV (N5) manufacturing process. The company’s N7P and N5P technologies are designed for...
36 by Anton Shilov on 7/30/2019LG Display & SK Hynix Looking to Diversify Industrial Suppliers as Row with Japan Intensifies
South Korean electronics companies reaffirmed this week that production of computer memory and displays could be disrupted because of ongoing trade dispute between the country and Japan. Both SK...
8 by Anton Shilov on 7/26/2019TSMC: 3nm EUV Development Progress Going Well, Early Customers Engaged
Development of new fabrication technologies never stops at leading-edge companies such as TSMC. Therefore, it is not surprising to hear the annoucement that development of TSMC’s 3nm node is...
76 by Anton Shilov on 7/23/2019Samsung’s 5nm EUV Technology Gets Closer: Tools by Cadence & Synopsys Certified
Samsung Foundry has certified full flow tools from Cadence and Synopsys for its 5LPE (5 nm low-power early) process technology that uses extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUV). Full flow design...
13 by Anton Shilov on 7/8/2019Synopsys to Accelerate Samsung’s 7nm Ramp with Yield Explorer Platform
Synopsys has announced an acceleration of development on its yield learning platform designed to speed up ramp up of chips made using Samsung Foundry’s 7LPP (7 nm low power...
16 by Anton Shilov on 7/4/2019Marvell to Acquire Avera Semiconductor from GlobalFoundries
Marvell on Monday announced that it had entered into agreement to buy Avera Semiconductor from GlobalFoundries. The acquisition will bring additional chip design capabilities to Marvell and will enable...
8 by Anton Shilov on 5/20/2019Samsung Announces 3nm GAA MBCFET PDK, Version 0.1
So what comes after 7nm, after 6nm, after 5nm, and after 4nm? That's right: 3nm! At Samsung's Foundry Forum event today, Samsung has announced that the first alpha version...
32 by Dr. Ian Cutress on 5/14/2019Intel Process Technology Update: 10nm Server Products in 1H 2020, Accelerated 7nm in 2021
Intel provided an update regarding its upcoming fabrication technologies at its 2019 Investor Meeting. The company is on track to produce server-class products using its 10 nm manufacturing technology...
74 by Anton Shilov on 5/8/2019TSMC: Most 7nm Clients Will Transition to 6nm
In this week's quarterly earnings conference call, TSMC’s revealed that the company expects most of its 7nm "N7" process customers to eventually transition to its forthcoming 6nm "N6" manufacturing...
39 by Anton Shilov on 5/1/2019Samsung to Invest $115 Billion in Foundry & Chip Businesses by 2030
Being among the largest contract makers of semiconductors and among leading developers of chips for various applications, Samsung Electronics wants to become the world’s leader in these industries. To...
27 by Anton Shilov on 4/24/2019GlobalFoundries to Sell 300mm New York Fab to ON Semiconductor
GlobalFoundries and ON Semiconductor on Monday signed a definitive agreement for the latter to buy GlobalFoundries’ 300-mm fab in East Fishkill, New York. In addition to the production facility...
25 by Anton Shilov on 4/22/2019TSMC: No Plans to Buy Rivals at The Moment
Although TSMC expects demand for chips to increase going forward and despite an ongoing trend towards consolidation on the foundry market, the company has commented that it currently has...
4 by Anton Shilov on 4/22/2019Samsung Completes Development of 5nm EUV Process Technology
Samsung Foundry this week announced that it has completed development of its first-generation 5 nm fabrication process (previously dubbed 5LPE). The manufacturing technology uses extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUVL) and...
21 by Anton Shilov on 4/17/2019TSMC Reveals 6 nm Process Technology: 7 nm with Higher Transistor Density
TSMC this week unveiled its new 6 nm (CLN6FF, N6) manufacturing technology, which is set to deliver a considerably higher transistor density when compared to the company's 7 nm...
23 by Anton Shilov on 4/17/2019