Samsung is taking full advantage of pioneering semiconductor lithography using EUV scanners. As TSMC prepares to start using 13,5nm scanners in June, adapting them for chip production under the second generation of the 7nm process technology, Samsung is diving deeper and on the completion of the development of a technical process with design standards of 5 nm. Moreover, the South Korean giant announced the start of accepting orders for the production of 5nm solutions for manufacturing on multi-project wafers. This means that Samsung is ready to accept digital chip designs with 5nm standards and produce pilot batches of working 5nm silicon.
Helping the company quickly move from offering a 7nm process with EUV to manufacturing 5nm solutions with EUV as well is the fact that Samsung has maintained interoperability of design elements (IP), design tools, and control. Among other things, this means that the company's customers will save money on the purchase of design tools, testing and ready-made IP-blocks. PDK kits for design, methodology (DM, design methodologies) and EDA automated design platforms became available as part of the development of chips for Samsung's 7nm EUV standards in the fourth quarter of last year. All these tools will enable the development of digital designs also for the 5nm process with FinFET transistors.
Compared to the 7nm process using EUV scanners, which the company last year, the 5nm process will provide a 25% increase in die area efficiency (Samsung avoids direct claims of a 25% reduction in die area, which leaves it room to maneuver with numbers). Also, the transition to a 5-nm process technology will either reduce the consumption of chips by 20%, or increase the performance of solutions by 10%. Another bonus will be the reduction in the number of photomasks that are needed for the production of semiconductors.
Samsung manufactures products using EUV scanners at the S3 plant in Hwaseong. In the second half of this year, the company will complete the construction of a new facility next to Fab S3, which will be ready to produce chips using EUV processes next year.
Source: 3dnews.ru