TSMC's 28nm to Become a Full Node Process

Oct 1, 2008 09:00 Nikkei Electronics Asia

TSMC Ltd said it plans to deliver its 28nm process as a full node technology offering the option of both high-k metal gate (HKMG) and silicon oxynitride (SiON) material to support different customer applications and performance requirements. Initial production is expected in the first quarter of 2010.

The 28nm node will be a full node in TSMC's manufacturing-flexible 28nm family, so named because it is the only family of processes at these geometries to offer either a HKMG or SiON transistor option. Multiple customers are working with TSMC to develop 28nm product designs.

The SiON-based 28LPT (low power / high performance) process, the family's lowest total power and cost-effective technology, is expected to provide twice the gate density, up to 50% more speed or 30 - 50% lower power consumption than TSMCs' 40LP technology. The 28LPT process is expected to go into initial production in the beginning of 2010 and support applications like cellular baseband, application processors, wireless connectivity, and portable consumer devices.

The 28HP (high performance) process is TSMC's first HKMG technology, which will support performance-demanding applications such as CPU, graphic processors, and FPGAs with twice the gate density and over 30% higher speed than TSMC's 40G process at similar power density. Going forward, the HKMG technology is promising for device scaling at even smaller geometries beyond 28nm. TSMC said the 28HP process is expected to enter initial production in the first half of 2010.

24 Hours | 7 Days