14 DAY TRIAL // In the history of the IT industry, companies have distinguished themselves from the others, or fell into oblivion, through innovative tactics or an uncanny knack for knowing what to make and when to launch it. Basically, making an interesting device and knowing when to release it is what determines whether a company takes off or lags behind. However, there are certain rare cases when a company does both at the same time. One of the contemporary names that seem to have achieved this feat is none other than TSMC.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company is known across the globe for such positive things as the fact that it is the exclusive supplier of graphics chips for NVIDIA and AMD, but also for less favorable things as having had severe problems with its 40nm process, problems that continue to impact upon its partners' marketing performance.
Now that it has somehow managed to resolve those issues, however, the company seems bent on making up for it by moving forward to more advanced processes at a more rapid pace. In fact, most recently, it was revealed that, instead of moving from the 28nm process to the 22nm, it would jump straight to 20nm by the end of 2012.
The smaller process technology will be based on a planar process that will boast an enhanced high-K metal gate (superior gate density) and will use low-resistance copper Ultra-Low-K interconnects, for lower leakage. Additionally, 20nm chips will be built with what the report names “novel strained silicon.” Basically, the process should enable more powerful chips, with higher clocks than those possible on the 22nm process.
"We have reached a point in advanced technology development where we need to be actively concerned about the ROI of advanced technology," Dr. Shang-yi Chiang, TSMC senior vice president, Research & Development, said, according to the report. "We also need to broaden our thinking beyond the process technology barriers that are inherent in every new node. Collaborative and co-optimized innovation is required to overcome the technological and economic challenges."
20nm risk production should ramp up in the second half of 2012.