Samsung's EUV 7 nm process is ready for production

Samsung announced yesterday that its new 7nm node with EUV (Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography) was ready to begin producing risks, just a week after the same TSMC announcement. Despite the proximity of the ads, we understand that the two companies are in quite different places with respect to the level of readiness for technology. TSMC first chose to deploy 7 nm on conventional lithography before deploying an EUV version of the node, while Samsung turns directly to EUV. Both companies deploy the new lithography technology in a limited form at 7 nm before moving, hopefully, to more advanced deployments at the 5 nm node.

Samsung expects significant benefits from its new process, with an estimated improvement of 40% in surface efficiency, 20% better performance and 50% lower power consumption. This is much larger than TSMC's predictions, but remember: TSMC integrates EUV into an existing node. Samsung, on the other hand, simultaneously deploys 7 nm and EUV. The company anticipates that adopting this technology will reduce the total number of masks required for the design of a system-on-chip by 20%. This figure is expected to increase after the fuller adoption of EUV. That said, some have argued that the cost angle for EUV has been overplayed. Scotten Jones, president of IC Knowledge, said that he expected companies to adopt the EUV because it improves cycle time, reduces placement errors contours (created when multiple masks are used, as in the quad configuration) and for higher overall fidelity.

An example of the increased loyalty we are talking about. The left pattern was created with the help of an EUV, while the right side used a classic lithography. Image credit: Samsung

Samsung notes that its new 7nm EUV process is suitable for a range of applications including 5G, AI, very large scale data center products, IoT devices, automotive chips and the like. network hardware. What is less clear is who the company's customers could be for this capability. TSMC has blocked a sizeable 7nm and said it expects the node to account for more than 20% of its revenues this year. We know that AMD uses TSMC for its GPUs and processors, just like Apple. The last time we learned about the Samsung / Qualcomm partnership was when rumors ran that Qualcomm had left Samsung and was heading to TSMC for its 7nm needs. In an article published earlier this year, ZDNet pointed out that some Samsung IP blocks would not be available until the first half of 2019, although the impact on the types of designs that the company can create or the companies that it builds is not clear. for.

It's pretty dark for the announcement of the availability of 7nm electric and electric vehicles from the only company, unlike TSMC, to offer the node to foundry customers, but Samsung has a backstop that a company like GlobalFoundries has not yet. Samsung, like Intel, is an IDM, which means that it uses its own chips in its own hardware. In a situation where the company has few clients, it can at least rely on its own activities.

That said, it is not clear exactly how many Samsung 7-nm EUV volumes will actually work. Currently, chips are being built in Samsung's S3 Fab. A new range of universal electric vehicles is expected to be in service by 2020 (and probably deployed on at least 5 nm). We will have to wait to see if Samsung announces important customers. The introduction of 7Nm may focus more on creating the tools and the ecosystem that Samsung will need to aggressively compete with customers later.

Now read: Samsung adds the 8 nm process, making VUE limited in 2019, Intel would not deploy VUE lithography until 2021 and TSMC announces the first EUV 7nm, 5nm production production in the second quarter of 2019