TSMC Completes 5nm Node Design, Node in Risk Production
… Samsung is debuting EUV in its 7nm node off the bat but, like TSMC, will only use EUV for contacts and vias at its initial node. …
New 28nm options for RF and eNVM (embedded non-volatile memory); 14nm LPC: A third-generation cost-optimized 14nm process node. 14nm will also get an RF option as an add-on this year; 10nm: Samsung will debut a 10nm LPP (Low Power Plus) with 10% better performance than Low Power Early. A few notes on these milestones: When a foundry says its ramping a product solution, that doesn't mean that technology is actually ready for shipping customer designs yet. There's a significant lag time depending on product family, foundry space, and customer validation -- Apple bought early 14nm production
Samsung: Full speed ahead for 10nm, EUV deploys at the 7nm node… Samsung is debuting EUV in its 7nm node off the bat but, like TSMC, will only use EUV for contacts and vias at its initial node. …
… Intel's 14nm and 10nm nodes are true feature shrinks across the board, while both Samsung and TSMC used a hybrid approach for their 16/14nm products. Samsung's 10nm is thought to be a hybrid between the 10 and 14nm nodes, just as 14nm is a hybridized 14nm / 20nm process. …
… One interesting point worth highlighting here is how much the dialog around process node ramps has changed within Intel. Five to six years ago, Intel would quickly point out that one major difference between itself and rival foundries like TSMC was the way it talked about new process nodes. …