1.EUV, 3nm, GAA unveiled for the first time, Samsung Foundry's strong business entered the Chinese market;
In order to further enhance its competitiveness in the foundry industry in the Chinese market, Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. held a Samsung Foundry Forum 2018 (SFF) on June 14th in Shanghai, China. This is the first time that SFF has been held in China. The influence of China's semiconductor market is evident.
In this forum, Zhan Yongchang, Director of Strategic Marketing Department and Vice President of Samsung Electronics Foundry Division, led the main management team and introduced the development achievements and future development of the Foundry Division's upgrading to an independent business department over the past year. The road map and services, for the first time, released plans for the use of transistor structures and EUV exposure technologies such as FinFET, GAA, and the roadmap for the development of high-end processes for 3-nanometer chips, and proposed a cooperation program to promote the semiconductor industry to achieve a better vision and common development.
According to reports, Samsung Foundry’s foundry not only took a leading position in various fields such as customized 8-inch special processes and high-end processes, such as eFlash/PMIC/DDI/CIS/RF/IoT, but also created a wafer-based wafer. Industrial ecosystem, including IP, EDA, and design service support, and the ability to provide design, production, packaging, testing and other one-stop services. Samsung said that for small and medium-sized non-factory wafer companies, and foundry companies The close cooperation between production and product design is of great significance. If we can work with Samsung Foundry, we are expected to achieve greater results.
Yan Yongchang stressed that Samsung Electronics insists on technological innovation to enhance the market competitiveness of the foundry industry. This year, it is expected to take the lead in the industry to commercialize the EUV technology.
He also stated that starting from the Samsung Foundry Forum to be held in China for the first time this year, Samsung Electronics Foundry Division will strengthen communication with the Chinese market and provide differentiated technologies as the basis for tailoring to the Chinese market. Foundry solutions have become a successful partner for Chinese waferless companies.
Samsung Electronics believes that the Chinese market is of great significance for the development of a new generation of semiconductor industry. It plans to build a foundry solution for the Chinese market based on providing differentiated technology.
2.Intel 10nm process reveals: Transistor density is more than the shoulder of Taiwan Semiconductor / Samsung 7nm;
Summary: The Intel 10nm process uses a third-generation FinFET tessellation transistor technology. The transistor density has reached 008 million cells per square millimeter (according to the official announcement), which is 2.7 times the current 14nm!
Set micro network messages, As a well-known 'toothpaste factory' in the technology industry, Intel has always been ahead of all manufacturers. Because its 10nm process has been skipped for three years, whenever a new processor is released, everyone is waiting for the arrival of 10nm. Intel is still pouring cold water for users, continue to skip the 10nm process.
For many users, they are wondering why Intel has been bounced at 10nm. Compared to TSMC, Samsung and other manufacturers in the same period, the 10nm process has already been mass-produced and has already been launched. Apple A11, Exynos 9810 and other chips have already been introduced. The big brother figure in the PC field, why can't Intel keep up with the trend of development? Today, foreign media TechInsight gave a satisfactory answer.
At present, Intel 10nm processor has been shipped in small quantities. The known product has only a low voltage and low power Core i3-8121U, which was first launched by the Lenovo IdeaPad 330 notebook.
TechInsight analyzed this processor and obtained some amazing findings directly confirming the advanced nature of Intel's new process.
The analysis found that Intel's 10nm process uses a third-generation FinFET tetro-transistor technology with a transistor density of 10,800,000,000 cells per square millimeter (according to official claims), which is 2.7 times the current 14nm!
In contrast, Samsung's 10nm process transistor density is only 55.1 million cells per square millimeter, which is equivalent to more than half of Intel's, 7nm is 101.2 million cells per square millimeter, barely higher than Intel's 10nm.
As for TSMC, GF's 7nm, transistor density is even lower than Samsung.
In other words, in terms of transistor integration, Intel 10nm is indeed on the same level as its rival's 7nm, and even better!
In addition, the Intel 10nm minimum gate pitch (Gate Pitch) reduced from 70nm to 54nm, the minimum metal pitch (MetalPitch) reduced from 52nm to 36nm, also far better than the opponent.
In fact, compared with other existing 10nm and future 7nm, Intel 10nm has the best pitch reduction index.
Other highlights of Intel 10nm include:
- For the first time in BEOL's back-end process, metallic copper, ruthenium (Ru), is a precious metal.
- Self-aligned patterning scheme for the first time on BEOL backends and contact points
- 6.2-Track High-Density Library for Hyperscaling
- Cell-level COAG (Contact on active gate) technology
Of course, the technical indicators will be advanced again, and they will eventually be converted into competitive products. (Proofreading/Mau Mao)
3. Zhang Zhongmou: TSMC will continue to lead the mainland for 5-7 years in the next 10 years;
TSMC’s founder Zhang Zhongmou made his public appearance for the first time since his retirement today. He gave a speech at the European Chamber of Commerce luncheon and pointed to the future of semiconductors. The growth of the semiconductor industry in the next 10 years is expected to exceed global GDP growth.
The European Association for Taiwan Business (ECCT) held a luncheon today. Specially invited TSMC’s founder Zhang Zhongmou, a long-term friendly relationship, to share experiences.
European business members asked Zhang Zhongmou how to look at the future development of the semiconductor industry. Zhang Zhongmou said with confidence that he is happy to see the future development of the semiconductor industry, that the importance of semiconductors is almost equivalent to bread, and that potatoes have grown very fast.
Zhang Zhongmou estimates that in the next 10 years, the average global GDP growth rate will be about 3%, but the growth rate of the semiconductor industry may be even better, perhaps reaching 5%.
Zhang Zhongmou also expects Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd. to continue to maintain its competitiveness and even grow at a rate of over 5%.
Some members also asked whether China’s semiconductor industry is going strong and whether Taiwan will be chased by it. Zhang Zhongmou responded that at the shareholders’ meeting last week, people also asked the same questions. He maintained the same view, although the semiconductor industry in mainland China will be 5 to 10 years in the future. There will be considerable progress, but TSMC will also continue to develop, so the gap between the two will not be reduced, and TSMC will still take the lead in mainland China technology for five to seven years.
4. Hua Hong Semiconductor is cultivating the MCU market to simulate the IP portfolio to help;
According to the micro-network news, Hua Hong Semiconductor announced today that it has independently developed ultra-low power based on the 0.11 micron ultra-low leakage embedded flash memory technology platform (0.11 μm Ultra Low Leakage eNVM Platform, hereinafter referred to as "0.11 μm ULL platform"). Consumption analog IP, including Clock Management, Energy Management, Analog Digital Converter, etc. These IPs have been silicon-proven and have been in volume production to help customers design low-power, cost-effective, High-precision and other types of MCU will help the company expand the MCU market.
In terms of clock management IP, Hua Hong Semiconductor has developed RCOSC, RTC and PLL three major categories of IP. High-precision OSC built-in compensation circuit, -40 °C ~125 °C temperature range accuracy of +/- 2%, an area of 0.02mm2 Low-power 32KHz RCOSC operating current as low as 160nA. Low-cost 16MHz RCOSC area of only 0.004mm2, operating current is only 16μA. Real-time clock RTC, provides 1Hz output, no external capacitors, effectively reducing costs. Low jitter PLL random noise jitter is less than 25ps, output 60M to 500MHz and other frequencies.
In terms of power management IP, the built-in BGR LDO has a current of 300nA in standby mode, and requires only 2.5μs to switch from standby mode to operating mode, greatly reducing the preparation time for normal operation. The external POR release voltage is 1.0V~1.52V. The circuit reliability and stability. In addition, VDT / LDT / TDT and other signal alarm analog IP, to stabilize the MCU chip voltage, current reference, detection voltage, temperature and chip security provides an effective guarantee.
In terms of signal conversion IP, Hua Hong Semiconductor provides 10-bit, 12-bit SAR ADCs with high precision. The newly introduced 12-Bit SAR ADC has a sampling rate of up to 2MSPS, an area of only 0.2mm2, and supports single-ended and differential input modes. 3.3V power supply, sampling rate of 2MSPS, the signal noise distortion ratio SNDR is 70dB, perfect combination of multi-channel, high precision, low power consumption, small area and other characteristics, is ideal for high-performance MCU.
Internet of Things, cloud computing, smart cities, virtual reality (VR) and other emerging markets have caused a surge in demand for various types of MCU chips. Hua Hong Semiconductor's various analog IPs can flexibly match the needs of 8-bit and 32-bit MCUs, and with its High quality and high reliability, effectively helping customers improve their competitiveness in the Internet of Things (IoT), information security, wearable products, and industrial control and automotive electronics markets.
Kong Weiran, executive vice president of Hua Hong Semiconductor, said: “A series of analog IP for MCU shows the industry's independent innovation strength to Huawei, shortening the customer's chip development cycle and providing strong support for our MCU customers. ”
5. To solve the problem of lack of semiconductor talents, Taiwan intends to 'engrave' mainland engineers;
TSMC’s 5-nanometer plant is actively constructing, and the 3-nanometer plant will continue to build in Tainan and mass production on schedule. Taiwan has the world’s most advanced semiconductor process, and it is bound to require more world-class engineers to join the ranks of the Taiwanese semiconductor industry. The government proposed to open mainland engineers to Taiwan and received a positive response from Minister of Science and Technology Chen Liangji on the 13th. Chen Liangji said that the government has proposed a draft of the 'New Economic Immigration Law', hoping that creative talents in the world will come to Taiwan, and the future government It will also open up mainland China semiconductor R&D and manufacturing professionals to work in Taiwan to solve the problem of insufficient talents encountered by the industry. Over the past 10 years, the mainland has actively developed the semiconductor industry to attract Taiwanese talents through encroachment and other methods, resulting in Taiwan’s talent list. To flow, the outside world has even described 'the loss of blood' as the unfavorable situation of Taiwan’s talented people being attracted by the magnetism on the mainland. Nowadays, mainland manufacturers have achieved remarkable results in IC design, but they are still not able to catch up with Taiwan’s technology in integrated circuit manufacturing. Profitability is also far inferior to Taiwan’s semiconductor manufacturers. Taiwan’s growing semiconductor industry Looking to stay in Taiwan, but the water, electricity, land, talent and other issues need the government to provide assistance. Among them, the opening up of mainland talent is used by Taiwanese factories, and the launch of two-way flow of talent across the Taiwan Strait is a key concern of the industry. TSMC President Wei Zhejia also stated that semiconductors From omnipresence to omnipotence, Taiwan needs more talented people to join the industry. Minister of Science and Technology Chen Liangji said that the drought-like elephants in June will be greatly improved due to the southwest air flow. As the government has invested considerable funds in infrastructure, it will be until 2027. Taiwan’s water storage capacity is expected to increase by a factor of 2, and the industry does not need to worry about it. As for the power supply sector, the new power infrastructure will be completed in 2019. For Taiwanese industries, power will never become a bottleneck for industrial development. In terms of talents, as Taiwan faces a serious crisis of aging and low birth rates, the government has proposed a draft of the 'New Economic Immigration Law' to encourage more skilled and professional people to immigrate to Taiwan. It hopes to attract more talents to Taiwan. Industry. Also, the US immigration regulations have become stricter. Taiwan has a world-class semiconductor industry, and it is creative in places like India. In terms of talents, it is a very good stage to use expertise. As for the more sensitive part of mainland engineers, in the past, the industry had contacts with engineers from mainland China who were studying in the United States or engineers from mainland China. The ability of Taiwanese companies to observe mainland engineers was also excellent, but Government policy did not allow entry into Taiwan. However, Chen Liangji said that in the future, the government will open up to allow mainland engineers to come to Taiwan to solve the problem of talent shortage in Taiwan’s semiconductor industry. Chen Liangji stressed that Taiwan’s semiconductor industry will continue for at least 20 years in the future. With hard work, the environment for industrial development is of utmost importance. The government will support the industry. In addition to the most basic water, electricity, and land, it is also a practice to encourage academics in Taiwan to cultivate talents for industrial research institutions. The student of the system, the government also needs to make changes so that it can meet the actual needs of the industry. DIGITIMES
6. UMC opens up history's biggest price increase and shipyard production capacity will expand to 70,000 pieces
UMC's 8-inch foundry production capacity is in short supply, and its price has recently risen officially. Its 8-inch plant and ship will start the largest scale expansion in more than three years, a rate of 15%. The industry revealed that UMC’s acquisition of “one-time increase” , An increase of 20%, unprecedented increase, coupled with large-scale expansion and ship production capacity, revealed to be optimistic about the market outlook.
UMC held a shareholders meeting on the 12th. CFO Liu Qidong confirmed after the meeting that it has launched a 'one-time price increase', mainly considering the tight global 8-inch wafer foundry capacity, plus the previous rising prices of upstream silicon wafer materials to reflect Market mechanism and cost fluctuations.
UMC's current capacity utilization rate is about 95%, and the overall order visibility is about 2 to 3 months. In May and May, the revenue was in line with expectations. This quarter saw a stable operation. The company recorded NT$149.2 billion in revenue last year, a record high, and is expected this year. The annual growth rate of the global semiconductor market can exceed 10%. Although UMC is still in the stage of adjusting its physique and product line, this year may make growth less powerful than the overall market, but it is still expected to grow in single digits and write new ones.
It is understood that with the strong demand for chips such as driver chips, fingerprint identification, power management, MOSFETs, and microcontrollers (MCUs), a lot of 8-inch wafer foundry capacity is required. However, the current global fabs are developing toward 12 inches. The most advanced processes are also produced in 12-inch plants. The 8-inch plants are mainly mature processes. No new plants have been added in recent years. However, the demand for chips, such as driver chips, which are still manufactured using mature processes, is strong, resulting in the global 8-inch wafer generation. 3. The factory production line was plugged and bursting with supply exceeding demand.
Liu Qidong explained that there are two reasons for this price increase. First, the most important wafer foundry silicon wafer supply of upstream materials is tight and the price is increasing frequently. Although UMC has long-term supply contracts with suppliers, silicon wafer supply The price of silicon wafers has risen, which has also led to an increase in the cost of UMC.
Secondly, since this year, one after another, there have been peers to increase the price of 8-inch wafer foundry, but UMC did not move before. With silicon wafer prices rising steadily, UMC has recently formally adjusted prices to reflect market mechanism and cost fluctuations. It's a 'big foot'.
Liu Qidong does not want to disclose the price increase rate of 'one raise'. The industry has estimated that the cumulative increase of other peers since this year and the cost rise space reflecting the price increase of silicon wafers, UMC’s increase may reach about 20%, and the past With tight production capacity, the gains generally fell to 3%, compared with 5%. This time it was called 'the biggest increase in history'.
In response to strong customer demand, Liu Qidong stated that UMC Taiwan’s 8-inch plant has no space for further expansion, and will launch an 8-inch ship-to-ship expansion plan. The monthly production capacity is expected to increase from the current 60,000 to 70,000, an increase of over 15 %, completed in the second quarter of next year.
UMC emphasized that in recent years, global demand for 8-inch wafer foundry market has been hot, and this expansion is only taking into account the supply and demand conditions in the medium- and long-term markets. This is the first time the ship has expanded its production since the first time in more than three years. Economic Daily