Samsung to introduce 6-nanometer tech

By Lee Min-hyung

Samsung Electronics plans to introduce its newest 6nm chipmaking technology at its upcoming forum slated for this May, the company said in its newsroom, Thursday.

This is the first time in the world’s semiconductor industry that a chipmaker has ever introduced a 6nm-level process technology. One nanometer (nm) is one-billionth of a meter. For reference, a hair is about 40,000 nm thick.

“Samsung’s foundry technology roadmap and technical details, including the newest 8nm and the 6nm procedures, will first be open to its customers and partners at the upcoming U.S. Samsung Foundry Forum scheduled for May 24,” the company said in a statement.

The firm explained the 8nm and the 6nm chips will offer greater scalability, performance and power advantages, compared with existing process nodes. Samsung added that the new technologies will meet customers’ growing needs, as they are expected to offer users with benefits such as cost competitiveness.

The world’s largest chipmaker also said it will streamline the existing 10nm fin field effect transistor (FinFET) process technology.

“Samsung’s 10nm low power early (LPE) is a game changer in the foundry industry,” said Yoon Jong-shik, executive vice president at Samsung Electronics’ foundry business.

Last October, Samsung started mass-producing the 10nm chips with the LPE process, reducing power consumption by 40 percent and increasing chip-manufacturing capacity by 30 percent per wafer, compared with previous 14nm chips.

“Following the 10nm LPE version, the 10nm low power plus and low power ultimate will enter mass production by the end of the year and next year, respectively,” the Samsung executive said.

The next-generation chipmaking technologies allow for thinner and smaller smart devices such as smartphones and wearables, enhancing their power consumption and offering more design options for device manufacturers.

Samsung Electronics is the only firm to manufacture chips with 10nm process technologies.

The firm’s upcoming flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S8, will become the first handset equipped with the 10nm-based SnapDragon 835 mobile application processor.