The gate-all-around technology will reportedly be applied to Samsung’s 2nm chips, as the Korean’s foundry division aims to commence mass production of this node sometime in 2025. Industry sources have stated that the company will present a paper on the third-generation GAA characteristics applied in the 2nm (SF2) process at the ‘VLSI Symposium 2024,’ which is a global semiconductor conference that is scheduled to be held in Hawaii from June 16 to 20.
Samsung has yet to strike gold with its 3nm GAA node, largely thanks to poor yields that make a partnership for other companies unviable
The Korean giant announced its 3nm GAA process in 2022, and according to the latest report, the semiconductor manufacturer aims to introduce three iterations of this technology, similar to what TSMC has done with its own 3nm node, starting with ‘N3B’ that was exclusively used by Apple. Samsung commercialized gate-all-around technology, which brings several advantages to the table. For instance, it regulates, amplifies, and controls the flow of current within a semiconductor.
As these chips get smaller, controlling the current flow becomes difficult, but GAA solves this problem by redesigning the transistor architecture to improve power efficiency. Despite these benefits, Samsung has been largely unsuccessful in securing various clients to supply its wafers to since it continues to run into yield problems. Pair that with high production costs, and the company’s potential clientele does not see the partnership as financially encouraging.
Previously, we reported that Samsung’s 3nm GAA yield stood at a horrible 20 percent, but the foundry giant has managed to turn things around, bringing that figure to three times the original value. However, it still trails behind TSMC in overall yields, so unsurprisingly, even Qualcomm and MediaTek have shown confidence in the Taiwanese semiconductor firm’s technology. Samsung has developed a proprietary technology in its GAA process called ‘MBCFET,’ and with each 3nm iteration, there are reports of performance and efficiency improvements.
Samsung apparently has plans to introduce a third iteration of its 3nm GAA technology, which is said to deliver over 50 percent reduction in power loss and higher integration due to area reduction. Perhaps with future research, Samsung can improve its yields and bring it to a number high enough that customers start showing interest in both the 3nm GAA and 2nm GAA versions.
News Source: Business Korea
About the author: Omar Sohail is a reporter and analyst for Wccftech's mobile section, specializing in the technology and business of the mobile industry. His expertise lies in the intricate hardware supply chain, covering developments in semiconductor manufacturing, chip lithography, and camera sensor technology.
Follow Wccftech on Google to get more of our news coverage in your feeds.
