"At present, the 7nm process still lacks a unified standard and definition, but basically it can be confirmed that TSMC, Samsung, and Intel are in the first camp. ' Industry expert Mo Dakang told the "China Electronics News" reporter.
IC giant actively layout 7nm
According to the calculation of the second largest wafer foundry in the world by the grid, the 7nm process technology can greatly reduce the chip area. Under the same transistor, the 7nm chip is 1/2.7 of the 14nm chip, which results in the reduction of chip power consumption and the calculation frequency. The improvement. Due to cost pressures, 7nm will not appear in a 'battle-up' situation, but the first-line IC manufacturers have announced the 7nm process plan.
High-performance computing is a follower of advanced processes. At present, Xilinx in the FGPA camp announced the adoption of TSMC's 7nm process in an adaptive computing acceleration platform. The first product is expected to be taped out in 2018 and delivered to the market in 2019. The newly announced 112G PAM4 transceiver. The device technology also uses TSMC's 7nm process. MediaTek's ASIC product line plans to introduce the industry's first 7G FinFET silicon-proven 56G PAM4 SerDes IP this month.
In 2017, Bitland, which officially launched the AI chip, also incorporated 7nm into the process layout. The reporter confirmed with the BitContinent that Bitland already has 7nm design experience and plans to use the 7nm process in the fifth generation TPU chip, which is expected to be available in 2020. Meanwhile, This reporter learned that AMD will use 7nm technology in the next generation of graphics cards, Intel's auto-pilot chip EyeQ5 also plans to use 7nm process.
For handset faucets, the 7nm process is a means to promote cutting-edge model upgrades and provide a high-end market for cards. Unicorn 980, Apple A12, and Xiaolong 855 are expected to use the 7nm process and are equipped with Huawei, Apple, and Qualcomm’s next-generation flagship models. Wang Yanhui, secretary-general of China Mobile, pointed out to reporters that as the manufacturing process becomes more and more advanced, the cost will rise sharply and the scale of investment will increase. The advantages of first-tier manufacturers will become more apparent.
The promotion of process means lower power consumption, faster operation speed and smaller chip size, but IC designers or manufacturers do not necessarily follow each process node. For example, the Grooved selection scheme plans to enter 7nm directly from 14nm. , Skipping the 10nm process. Currently, the major IC vendors have a 7nm layout plan. Wang Xiaolong, research director of the company, pointed out to reporters that 7nm is a node that first-line IC design companies will not bypass. From the technical point of view, 7nm in the data Processing and transmission have obvious advantages, especially for high-performance computing chips. From the market point of view, the continuous evolution of product specifications is an effective means of avoiding price wars. Firms can only maintain price levels by promoting specifications.
However, the 7nm process also faces uncertainties.
The first is the standard of 7nm. Intel executives once stated on the “Fine Manufacturing Day” that the transistor density of the 10nm process technology of the AUO is only equivalent to the density of the Intel 14nm process transistor. The process technology should be measured in practice. The IC manufacturers are reflected from the side No consensus has been reached on the metrics and naming of the process.
A solution provider who has just adopted Intel 14nm technology told the reporter that Intel's 14nm process has a line spacing of 14nm and the narrowest line spacing is within 10nm. Friends of the company have a technical node named after the narrowest line spacing, so Intel’s 14nm can be compared with 10nm of 'Friendship'.
Secondly, IC manufacturers will launch several products at 7nm, or just as a transition to 5nm, depending on the cost-effectiveness of the process. Wang Yanhui pointed out to reporters that 7nm may cause 10nm impact, but it does not necessarily cause 14nm squeeze. Because 14nm is still a cost-effective process. IC design manufacturers will stay in 7nm how long, the key lies in the manufacturers of yield, power consumption, cost control capabilities.
TSMC, Samsung, Intel enters first 7nm camp
At the end of last year, Textronic co-CEO Liu Deyin stated that the 7nm process has already had more than 40 customers. At the investor's meeting earlier this year, TSMC revealed that it has received orders from more than 50 customers, including smartphones, game consoles, and processors. , AI applications, bitcoin mining machines, etc. According to the plan, TSMC has conducted 7nm risk trial production in the fourth quarter of last year, and is expected to start mass production in the second quarter of this year.
Faced with the overall advantages of TSMC in the market, Samsung hopes to pin its weight on EUV technology. EUV uses extreme ultraviolet light with a wavelength of 10~14nm as a light source, which can reduce the exposure wavelength to 13.5nm. In secondary image forming and other technologies, The exposure process may be repeated 2 or 3 times, but EUV technology can be completed at one time, simplifying the process and shortening the production cycle. It is considered as the key to the continuation of Moore's Law in advanced processes. According to a report from Korean media, Samsung has used EUV equipment. Completed the research and development of the 7nm process, six months ahead of schedule, leaving more time for process improvements and upgrades. On February 23rd, Samsung began construction of a new EUV production line, which is expected to be completed in the second half of 2019 and put into production in 2020. .
Whether Samsung can achieve the overtaking of TSMC through EUV? Mo Dakang pointed out to reporters that EUV not only purchases lithography machines, but also has to go through a whole industrial chain. Masks and inspection instruments must be changed. EUV The technology is not yet mature, and there are problems such as insufficient power of the light source. Samsung's adoption of EUV is an adventurous way. The TSMC-originated TSMC is at the technological level, the third-party IP, and the back-end process are strong, plus TSMC expects 7nm. The proportion of income contribution will reach 10%, and mass production may go ahead of Samsung.
Although there was not much movement at 7nm, Intel is still Samsung, and TSMC cannot be ignored. The data released by Intel on Precision Manufacturing Day shows that its 10nm process has better fin pitch, gate pitch, and logic transistor density. Youda.com pointed out to reporters that Intel’s annual R&D investment is more than US$10 billion, and that key process technologies such as FinFet are at the forefront. Intel is mainly an IDM vendor. Although there is a foundry business, it is not in a hurry to report progress to the outside world. , But from the current technological process, TSMC, Samsung, Intel have already walked in the first camp.
7nm is not the final point of the advanced process. The 3-5nm process has already entered the vision of TSMC and Samsung. TSMC plans to mass-produce 5nm12-inch wafers from 2020. The first phase of the 18th wafer factory planned to produce 5nm process The construction started in the southern industrial science park at the beginning of this year, and it is expected to enter the mass production at the beginning of 2020. In the second phase, the third phase of the plant is expected to enter volume production in 2020 and 2021 respectively. By 2022, the first, second and third phases of the plant will all enter the mass production. The annual production capacity is estimated to exceed 1 million pieces. At the same time, TSMC promises that the future 3nm plant will also be established in the southern science park. Samsung also developed IBM's 5nm chip manufacturing process last year in cooperation with IBM.
However, 5nm technology is not yet mature. Recently, EUV technology burst into random defects at 5nm nodes. Industry experts told reporters that 5nm is not only a technical problem but also an economic problem. If 5nm does not have a price/performance ratio, even first-tier manufacturers will only make high-end products. Products follow the evolution of advanced processes.
The key to promoting the progress of process technology is cost-effectiveness. The later the process, the more critical the price-performance ratio is.' Mo Daikang said.