Samsung Successfully Completes 5nm EUV Development

[btarunr]

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., a world leader in advanced semiconductor technology, today announced that its 5-nanometer (nm) FinFET process technology is complete in its development and is now ready for customers' samples. By adding another cutting-edge node to its extreme ultraviolet (EUV)-based process offerings, Samsung is proving once again its leadership in the advanced foundry market.

Compared to 7 nm, Samsung's 5 nm FinFET process technology provides up to a 25 percent increase in logic area efficiency with 20 percent lower power consumption or 10 percent higher performance as a result of process improvement to enable us to have more innovative standard cell architecture. In addition to power performance area (PPA) improvements from 7 nm to 5 nm, customers can fully leverage Samsung's highly sophisticated EUV technology. Like its predecessor, 5 nm uses EUV lithography in metal layer patterning and reduces mask layers while providing better fidelity.



Another key benefit of 5 nm is that we can reuse all the 7 nm intellectual property (IP) to 5nm. Thereby 7 nm customers' transitioning to 5 nm will greatly benefit from reduced migration costs, pre-verified design ecosystem, and consequently shorten their 5 nm product development.

As a result of the close collaboration between Samsung Foundry and its 'Samsung Advanced Foundry Ecosystem (SAFE )' partners, a robust design infrastructure for Samsung's 5 nm, including the process design kit (PDK), design methodologies (DM), electronic design automation (EDA) tools, and IP, has been provided since the fourth quarter of 2018. Besides, Samsung Foundry has already started offering 5nm Multi Project Wafer (MPW) service to customers.

"In successful completion of our 5 nm development, we've proven our capabilities in EUV-based nodes," said Charlie Bae, Executive Vice President of Foundry Business at Samsung Electronics. "In response to customers' surging demand for advanced process technologies to differentiate their next-generation products, we continue our commitment to accelerating the volume production of EUV-based technologies."

In October 2018, Samsung announced the readiness and its initial production of 7 nm process, its first process node with EUV lithography technology. The company has provided commercial samples of the industry's first EUV-based new products and has started mass production of 7 nm process early this year.

Also, Samsung is collaborating with customers on 6 nm, a customized EUV-based process node, and has already received the product tape-out of its first 6nm chip.

Mr. Bae continued, "Considering the various benefits including PPA and IP, Samsung's EUV-based advanced nodes are expected to be in high demand for new and innovative applications such as 5G, artificial intelligence (AI), high performance computing (HPC), and automotive. Leveraging our robust technology competitiveness including our leadership in EUV lithography, Samsung will continue to deliver the most advanced technologies and solutions to customers."

Samsung foundry's EUV-based process technologies are currently being manufactured at the S3-line in Hwaseong, Korea. Additionally, Samsung will expand its EUV capacity to a new EUV line in Hwaseong, which is expected to be completed within the second half of 2019 and start production ramp-up for next year.

View at TechPowerUp Main Site

 

[londiste]

Customer samples? Is Samsung going to basically skip 7nm?

 

[Xzibit]

Customer samples? Is Samsung going to basically skip 7nm?

No, They started 7nm production in Q4 2018. TSMC started in Q2 2018 I believe and has switched to 7nm EUV in Q2 this year.

Its the same as what TSMC announced earlier this month.

 

[mtcn77]

Customer samples? Is Samsung going to basically skip 7nm?

7nm DUV, or 5nm EUV with none of the drawbacks. I think this is newsworthy.

 

[londiste]

7nm DUV, or 5nm EUV with none of the drawbacks. I think this is newsworthy.

Samsung was going for 7nm EUV from the get-go.

No, They started 7nm production in Q4 2018

Like the article says - 7nm samples in Oct 2018, production early 2019. 5nm taking customer samples means Samsung's 7nm will last at the top of the line for about a year at best.

 

[mtcn77]

Samsung was going for 7nm EUV from the get-go.
Like the article says - 7nm samples in Oct 2018, production early 2019. 5nm taking customer samples means Samsung's 7nm will last at the top of the line for about a year at best.

7nm production start is distant from EUV. I can hold my ground, imo.
There are 3 levels of production;

• Sample: "In October 2018, Samsung announced the readiness and its initial production of 7 nm process, its first process node with EUV lithography technology"
• Sample: The company has provided commercial samples of the industry's first EUV-based new products and
• Production: has started mass production of 7 nm process early this year.

 

[londiste]

You are right, I read it a bit wrong. Both 7nm samples and production were in early 2019. It still means that 5nm comes only half a year (October 2018 to April 2019) after 7nm.
What do you mean by 7nm production start being distant from EUV? Samsung's 7nm has been EUV from the beginning and that was a large factor in their 7nm being ready later than TSMC's.

 

[mtcn77]

You are right, I read it a bit wrong. Both 7nm samples and production were in early 2019. It still means that 5nm comes only half a year (October 2018 to April 2019) after 7nm.
What do you mean by 7nm production start being distant from EUV? Samsung's 7nm has been EUV from the beginning and that was a large factor in their 7nm being ready later than TSMC's.

Expanding EUV Capacity
As noted above, Samsung installed EUV production tools at its Fab S3, which still has plenty of DUV (deep ultraviolet) equipment. As EUVL is used only for select layers of 7LPP chips, the relatively limited number of Twinscan NXE:3400B scanners is hardly a problem, but when Samsung’s process technologies will require EUV for more layers, it may need to expand its EUV capacities.

​

As reported in September, a major increase of EUV lithography usage by Samsung Foundry will happen after it builds another production line in Hwaseong, which was architected for the EUV tools from the start. The fab is set to cost 6 trillion Korean Won ($4.615 billion), it is expected to be completed in 2019, and start HVM in 2020.

 

[londiste]

Like its predecessor, 5 nm uses EUV lithography in metal layer patterning and reduces mask layers while providing better fidelity.

EUV is still used in some metal layers and not much further. I wonder if the new production line in Hwaseong is going to be 5 nm.

A big problem with EUV today is that the equipment literally cannot be manufactured fast enough. Samsung has bought basically the entire production for a couple years now, TSMC and Intel are fighting for the scraps and who is getting the equipment next

 

[mtcn77]

EUV is still used in some metal layers and not much further. I wonder if the new production line in Hwaseong is going to be 5 nm.

A big problem with EUV today is that the equipment literally cannot be manufactured fast enough. Samsung has bought basically the entire production for a couple years now, TSMC and Intel are fighting for the scraps and who is getting the equipment next

I think the more important toolset is mask verification stations. Lasertec is the corporation that has 2.5 years already booked.

 

[Crackong]

Meanwhile at Intel.........................

 

[londiste]

Meanwhile at Intel.........................

Is expected to have 7nm and EUV in late 2020. That expectation is primarily based on them building an EUV-based foundry in Oregon. Building started late 2018 or very beginning of 2019 and is expected to take 18 months plus a few more for installing equipment. This is a full-scale production facility.

 

[las]

Imagine Nvidia releasing 3000 series on this node. RIP AMD GPU department.
Oh well, 7nm TSMC would destroy them too at this point..

 

[Prima.Vera]

Can we all have 1 min of silence for Intel?
.
.
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And then 10 of hysterical laughing??

 

[mtcn77]

Can we all have 1 min of silence for Intel?
.
.
.
And then 10 of hysterical laughing??

Making cold calls on Intel newscast with blanket 'shilling' accusations is my modus. Looks like they happen to take the bait quite well.
PS: Jesus! If I play nice, I might even turn the medium into 4chan. Just need more instigating rabble and the right stir pot.