3nm, 2nm... Semiconductor Companies Challenging the 'Limits of Miniaturization' [Juhyung Lim's Tech Talk]

Semiconductor Companies Challenging 3nm and 2nm Processes After 5nm
Ultrafine Manufacturing at 1/50,000th the Thickness of a Hair
Reaching 1nm Requires Preparation for 'Atomic-Level Process'

Semiconductor Factory / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] Apple's smartphone 'iPhone 13,' which proved its popularity by shipping over 40 million units in the fourth quarter (October to December) of last year alone, has been praised not only for its design but also for its powerful performance. The secret lies in Apple's self-developed 5-nanometer (nm) high-performance semiconductor 'M1.'

Until now, most smartphone computer chips were manufactured using a 7nm process, but Apple led the hardware performance competition by introducing the world's first 5nm chip.

However, the dazzling debut of the M1 has once again ignited the spark of the 'fine process competition' in the semiconductor industry. Contract manufacturers that receive orders from semiconductor designers are planning massive investments to achieve processes below 3nm and 2nm, surpassing 5nm.

◆Modern Semiconductors Manufactured at the 'One Billionth of a Meter' Scale

Nm is a unit of length measurement, where 1nm is typically one billionth of a meter. Inside a semiconductor, there are tiny circuits through which electric current flows, and nm is often used as a unit to measure the width of these circuits. For example, if Apple's M1 chip is manufactured using a 5nm process, the circuit width inside the M1 chip is one five hundred millionth of a meter.

The competitiveness of semiconductors depends on the linewidth of the circuits through which electrical signals pass. The finer the circuits on a chip, the more transistors can be integrated, enhancing performance or reducing overall size. It is known that the M1 chip, manufactured with a 5nm process, contains as many as 16 billion transistors.

Apple Unveils World's First 5nm Semiconductor 'M1' / Photo by Apple

One nanometer is one fifty-thousandth the thickness of a human hair. It is a microscopic unit impossible to identify with the naked eye, and achieving such a fine process requires advanced technology and capital.

Because of this, companies that manufacture microprocessors, known to be the most complex semiconductors such as Central Processing Units (CPU) and Graphics Processing Units (GPU), are thoroughly specialized. Companies known as 'fabless' like Apple, AMD, ARM, and Nvidia focus on semiconductor design, while Taiwan's TSMC and South Korea's Samsung Electronics take on the role of manufacturing based on the design blueprints from these design companies.

◆TSMC and Samsung Compete to Mass-Produce Beyond 5nm to 3nm

Contract manufacturers (foundries) such as TSMC and Samsung are accelerating efforts to realize processes below 5nm. According to reports from overseas IT media like 'AnandTech,' TSMC, currently the world's largest foundry company, plans to complete preparations for mass production of 3nm processes by the end of this year.

Samsung announced plans to mass-produce 3nm chips in the first half of this year, earlier than TSMC, making a bold move. Choi Si-young, head of Samsung Electronics' Foundry Business Division, emphasized in the keynote speech at the online 'Samsung Foundry 2021' event last October, "We will expand production capacity through large-scale investments and continue differentiated innovations not only in advanced fine processes such as Gate-All-Around (GAA) but also in existing processes." Samsung plans to complete preparations for 2nm process mass production by 2025.

Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong is inspecting the EUV dedicated line during his visit to the Pyeongtaek plant in Gyeonggi Province on January 4 last year. / Photo by Yonhap News

However, apart from the announced mass production plans, both companies still face many challenges to produce fine process chips stably. One example is the semiconductor yield issue (the ratio of good products to total production). When manufacturing chips with new technology, the possibility of defective products increases, and reducing this defect rate is essential for proper mass production. TSMC also planned to start 3nm mass production in the first half of this year but postponed it to the second half due to lower-than-expected yields.

◆Will the Era of 'Atomic-Scale Processes' Below 1nm Also Open?

Since Samsung became the world's first to mass-produce 10nm computer chips in 2016, it has entered an era where 3nm mass production is anticipated in just six years. Thanks to new production technologies, design companies have been able to devise more precise and densely packed semiconductors. However, as the circuit widths become even narrower, new problems are expected to arise. The question is how to realize processes below 1nm.

As semiconductor processes approach the 1nm level, semiconductor transistors shrink to nearly atomic size. In the atomic-scale world, a phenomenon called the 'quantum tunneling effect' occurs, where tiny particles like electrons suddenly teleport to other locations. The semiconductor industry, having reached the limits of fine processes, now faces the challenge of quantum mechanical issues.

Companies are making diligent efforts to prepare for the 'atomic-scale process' era. Recently, the American comprehensive semiconductor company Intel emphasized that instead of competing in the 'nano race,' it will prepare for the 'angstrom' era. Accordingly, chips manufactured by Intel will be labeled in angstrom units instead of nm. One angstrom equals 0.1nm, the size of a single smallest atom.

Intel's adoption of angstrom units also reflects its ambition to challenge processes at 1nm and below. Pat Gelsinger, Intel's CEO, revealed Intel's fine process roadmap last July, stating, "Intel has a definite way to surpass '1 (nm)' through innovation over the next decade," and added, "Intel will relentlessly pursue silicon's magical innovations until all elements in the periodic table are exhausted."