Samsung Electronics and TSMC Grapple with 3-Nano Yield Challenges

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Samsung Electronics and TSMC are currently facing significant challenges in stabilizing the yield of their 3-nano (3nm) semiconductor fabrication process, the most advanced in foundry production. Both companies are struggling to achieve a yield rate of over 60%, resulting in concerns about the process's completeness, particularly following heating issues reported in TSMC's 3-nano chips used in the iPhone 15 series.

www.guru3d.com/#, Oct. 06, 2023 – 

As of the latest reports in the semiconductor industry, the yield rates for Samsung Electronics and TSMC's 3-nano processes remain at approximately 50%. While some earlier reports suggested that Samsung Electronics had surpassed the 60% yield mark and successfully delivered chips to Chinese clients, it's essential to note that these chips lacked SRAM, a crucial component for a complete 3-nano process. Consequently, the industry refrains from considering these chips as fully representative of a 3-nano process. These particular chips were supplied to a Chinese fabless Bitcoin mining semiconductor (ASIC) company. It is observed that Samsung Electronics' emphasis on the 3-nano GAA (Gate-All-Around) technology has yet to attain the yield necessary to attract major customers. GAA technology entails surrounding the channels where current flows in semiconductor transistors with gates on all four sides, enhancing data processing speed and power efficiency compared to the previous FinFET technology, which covered only three sides of the channel. While Samsung Electronics initiated mass production of the 3-nano GAA process ahead of TSMC, securing a substantial yield is imperative for winning orders from significant clients like Qualcomm and Samsung Electronics System LSI for 3-nano mobile chips in the coming year. An official familiar with Samsung Electronics stated that the current yield for their latest 3-nano process hovers around 50% but stressed the need to increase it to at least 70% to remain competitive. TSMC, the sole company with a track record in 3-nano mass production, is also encountering lower yields than initially projected. The iPhone 15 series' heating issues have raised doubts about TSMC's 3-nano process, with some experts suggesting that it may be an incomplete process still in its early stages. The 3-nano process applied to the Apple A15 represents just one step in TSMC's series of 3-nano derivative processes, including N3E, N3P, N3X, and N3AE, expected to enter mass production in the near future. Experts anticipate that the 3-nano process, currently at the forefront of semiconductor technology, will enjoy an extended lifespan due to the accumulation of various derivative processes. While Samsung, TSMC, and Intel are preparing for the 2-nano process, its performance and power efficiency compared to the 3-nano process are inferior, leading to expectations of sustained demand for 3nm-based chips. Furthermore, the competition between Samsung Electronics and TSMC to secure higher 3-nano yields will play a pivotal role in determining the allocation of orders for 3-nano mobile chips, particularly between Qualcomm and Samsung Electronics System LSI, set to be released in earnest next year. Additionally, fabless companies like NVIDIA and AMD, which currently rely on NVIDIA processes, may diversify their supply sources by considering Samsung Electronics.

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