TSMC, Samsung Diverge at 7nm

TSMC's 7nm SRAM sees "healthy" yields

Rick Merritt, EETimes
2/8/2017 00:01 AM EST

SAN FRANCISCO — Samsung and TSMC gave two very different glimpses of their work on 7nm process technology at the International Solid State Circuits Conference (ISSCC) here. Both companies presented work on SRAMs, typically a key driver for next-generation nodes.

TSMC’s paper described a test chip that could pass for a commercial part and said it had “healthy” yields. Samsung described its use of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography to repair what was clearly a research device, suggesting what it will call 7nm could still be years away.

Both papers need to be viewed through the lens of ISSCC, a gathering place for some 3,000 upwardly mobile chip designers from around the world. Both foundries want to make the case they are at the leading edge of next-generation foundry services. Unfortunately they diverge on what they will call 7nm.

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