TSMC begins mass production of the first 7nm lithography-based processors, which will be used for smartphone chips and memory chips.
TSMC machines to manufacture 7nm processors are already fuming and the company has already started to manufacture the first processors based on this new manufacturing process. Although CPUs or GPUs based on the 7nm manufacturing process are not expected to arrive this year, TSMC has confirmed that they have started to manufacture the first base chips based on CLN7FF (the name by which this 7nm process is known) . Any chip that is built around the CLN7FF should offer a huge increase in performance and energy efficiency.
Although we will not see processors and graphics based on CLN7FF, the first SoC or smartphone chips are expected to arrive, based on this manufacturing process and memory chips are also expected to be manufactured, presumably for smartphones, which It will allow to extend the autonomy of smartphones, without the need to expand the capacity of the batteries. This is because SoCs and memory chips are easier to develop.
TSMC offers a comparison between the 7nm process and the 16nm process, the one that currently has the highest output for the company, ensuring that the chips will now be 70% smaller with the same number of transistors, the energy consumption and work frequencies are improved, allowing an increase of 60%. These major improvements will deliver higher power and lower power consumption than current chips.
This new lithography requires a new process using deep ultraviolet light (DUV), with excimer argon fluoride (ArF) lasers, which operate at a wavelength of 193nm. It is not exactly a simple process. This process offers the advantage of being able to use existing machines to manufacture in 7nm. To continue using DUV lithography, the company and customers will use multipasttering or triple and quadruple patterns, which offers in return the design and production costs, in addition to increasing production cycles.
Ultimately, the company hopes to be able to jump into extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUVL) based manufacturing for selected layers. CLN7FF + will be a second generation process, much more polished and better for DUV tool-based design systems. CLN7FF + is expected to increase transistor density by 20% and consumption reduction of 10% is expected.
Source: Anandtech
