As the semiconductor industry continues to pursue advanced processes, from 7nm to 5nm and then to 3nm, the industry's desire for higher performance and more cutting-edge technology never stops. However, when TSMC announced the successful mass production of 3nm fin-effect transistor process technology in 2022, the 1nm process technology began to approach step by step, and the industry also faced unprecedented technical challenges. This article will analyze the challenges and opportunities of 1nm process technology, and the possible ways to achieve 1nm process.
1. Challenges of 1nm process technology.
Leaping from 3nm to 1nm is a huge challenge. The R&D and production of process manufacturing require a lot of resources, on the one hand, technology accumulation, such as transistor architecture, material selection, manufacturing process, etc., all need to solve problems;On the other hand, strong capital, talent and equipment are also needed. From 5nm to 3nm, the production cost has doubled, and the production cost of the 1nm process will be even more expensive. Therefore, not everyone is "qualified" to pursue 1nm.
2. Institutions and enterprises with ambitions to pursue 1nm.
At present, the institutions and enterprises that have ambitions to pursue 1nm mainly include Japanese chip manufacturer Rapidus, the University of Tokyo, the French semiconductor research institute LETI, IBM, IMEC, as well as TSMC and Intel. These institutions and companies are actively investing in R&D and production resources, hoping to make breakthroughs in 1nm process technology.
3. How to achieve the 1nm process.
Finding the right transistor structure as well as the right transistor material to achieve the 1nm process geometry is still a good direction. The use of non-silicon materials facilitates the fabrication of very tiny transistors – as small as 1 nanometer. In 2019, IMEC demonstrated at the IEEE conference that 2D materials can achieve process nodes below 1nm. At that time, IMEC had already demonstrated that molybdenum disulfide (MOS2) MOSFETs with tiny feature sizes could open the way for extreme scaling of transistors, well below the level of the short-channel effect of silicon devices.
Fourth, the opportunity of 1nm process technology.
While 1nm process technology presents great challenges, it also presents great opportunities. First of all, the 1nm process technology will bring higher performance and more cutting-edge technology, which will promote the technological progress and industrial upgrading of the semiconductor industry. Secondly, the R&D and production of 1nm process technology will drive the development of related industrial chains, including materials, equipment, manufacturing, etc., which will bring huge business opportunities to the entire semiconductor industry. Finally, the successful R&D and production of 1nm process technology will enhance the competitiveness and status of a country or region in the semiconductor industry, which is of great strategic significance.
V. Conclusions. In short, 1nm process technology is a new challenge and opportunity for the semiconductor industry. Although we are facing huge technical challenges and production costs, we are expected to achieve breakthroughs and applications of 1nm process technology in the future by actively investing R&D and production resources to find suitable transistor structures and materials. This will promote the technological progress and industrial upgrading of the semiconductor industry, drive the development of related industrial chains, and enhance the competitiveness and status of a country or region in the semiconductor industry.
Semiconductors