Will Flexible Smartphones Appear Soon? Commercialization of Plastic CPUs 'Within Reach' [Im Ju-hyung's Tech Talk]

ARM Unveils 'PlasticARM' Plastic Version of Cortex M0
Lower Process Costs Than Silicon Semiconductors and Flexible Properties
Efficiency Lower Than Silicon Is a Drawback
Expected 'Infinite Potential' in Clothing, Food, Barcode Paper, and More

Plastic semiconductor with bending or folding properties / Photo by Pragmatic

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] Today, most semiconductors are made based on silicon. Since silicon is derived from sand, the raw material cost is low, and it is resistant to heat, making it ideal as a semiconductor material for mass production. However, with the rapid expansion of semiconductor demand today, semiconductors made from materials other than silicon are also gaining significant attention. Some even predict the emergence of computer chips made from plastic.

◆Plastic-made CPU, mass production imminent

Global fabless semiconductor company ARM Holdings, which supplies semiconductor designs worldwide, published research results related to compound semiconductors in the prestigious scientific journal Nature last July.

The new semiconductor technology announced by ARM in this paper is a completely new type of computer chip called 'plasticARM.' It is a 'plasticized' version of the ARM Cortex M0 central processing unit (CPU) that ARM had previously developed.

This plastic CPU announced by ARM is the most advanced form among non-silicon material CPUs released so far. Regarding this, ARM emphasized in the paper that it is "a chip with 18,000 logic gates, 12 times more than previously announced plastic-based computer chips."

Fabless company ARM Holdings unveiled the 'PlasticARM' Cortex M0 central processing unit / Photo by ARM

Plastic semiconductors have not yet been commercialized. ARM aims to move this chip to the mass production stage for the first time in the world. To this end, on the 19th (local time), ARM invested about $80 million (94.3 billion KRW) together with co-investors in PragmatIC, a compound semiconductor foundry company headquartered in Cambridge, UK. This company, specialized in compound semiconductor production, plans to use its proprietary process technology to manufacture plastic computer chips based on the Cortex M0.

◆Flexible nature, low processing cost... advantages of plastic semiconductors

Today, complex system semiconductors such as CPUs and graphics processing units (GPUs) are mostly made based on single-element materials like silicon. Compound semiconductors, which mix two or more elements, have been limited to specific areas such as electric vehicle power chips and communication chips.

However, if mass production of system semiconductors using plastic becomes possible, the potential is limitless. First, unlike silicon, plastic is elastic and can bend. In other words, plastic CPUs are essential components for making electronic devices that fold or bend, such as foldable smartphones, rollable displays, and Internet of Things (IoT) devices.

Another important advantage is cost. Manufacturing silicon semiconductors requires producing high-purity silicon first, a process that consumes enormous costs. However, plastic-based semiconductors require significantly less time and cost in processing compared to silicon.

Semiconductors made from plastic are not as fast or efficient as traditional silicon semiconductors, but they have more flexible properties. / Photo by Pragmatic

PragmatIC, responsible for producing ARM’s plastic semiconductors, claims that the capital investment cost for their self-developed metal-oxide film semiconductor process is more than 100 times cheaper than that of conventional silicon semiconductors.

◆Expectations for 'versatility' such as paper, clothing barcodes

However, many challenges remain before plastic CPUs can be commercialized. The biggest issue is that this technology is still in its infancy compared to silicon semiconductors.

The Cortex M0 that ARM successfully plasticized was developed in 2009, and the performance gap with silicon chips produced today is enormous. Even if plastic CPU commercialization succeeds, it means many research and development stages are still required before it can be widely installed in the latest electronic products.

ARM is also struggling with miniaturization of plastic chips. According to analysis by tech media AnandTech, the Cortex M0 is much larger than silicon computer chips with the same performance. This indicates clear limitations for use in small electronic devices like IoT.

Regarding these limitations, ARM emphasizes the 'versatility' of plastic chips. James Myers, an ARM researcher leading the plasticARM research, explained that "(plastic CPUs) are not faster or more efficient than silicon chips," but they can be embedded in various products such as paper, clothing, and food barcodes.