Intel announced at the 2023 International Electronic Device Manufacturing Conference that they have successfully completed the development of a backside power supply technology called Powervia. This technology is based on Intel's latest transistor research results, which enable the vertical stacking of complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (CFETS) with a 60nm gate pitch. By stacking transistors, this technology improves area efficiency and performance, while also combining both backside power and direct backside contact.
Intel explained that chip manufacturing has been layered over the past few years, starting with the smallest component – the transistor – and then creating smaller line layers that connect the transistor to the metal layer. These lines are called signal interconnects, and they also include, for example, the power lines used to power the transistors. But as transistors get smaller and denser, the line layers shared by interconnects and power lines become more and more confusing. Faced with this problem, Intel began to look for a back-side power supply technology that migrated the power cord to the back of the chip.
Intel's backside power solution, Powervia, has produced competitive test results. This technology solves the tradition"Pizza style"Problems with manufacturing methods, especially the separation of power and interconnect wires and the expansion of wire diameters, have improved power supply and signal transmission.
For Intel's transistor stacking and back-powered technology, research has shown that it will play an important role in the density of the miniature transistors. Intel stressed that this will go beyond it"Five-year process node plan"to continue the miniature transistor with backside power technology.
At the moment, Intel's technology has a certain advantage over its competitors. For example, TSMC will introduce a fully surround gate (GAA) architecture in the first-generation 2nm process for mass production in 2025, and then introduce backside power technology in the second-generation 2nm process in 2026. At the same time, although South Korea's Samsung has introduced GAA architecture to the 3nm process technology that will be mass-produced in 2022, they expect to introduce backside power supply technology until the 2nm process that will be mass-produced in 2025. From this point of view, Intel is really one step ahead.