According to foreign media reports, south Korean police arrested a samsung System LSI department li executives, the reason is that he will be the company's semiconductor technology secrets (samsung 14 nm, 10 nm process) sold to a Chinese company, and the other is the direct rival samsung electronics (who is not open).
Rumors of 14 nm technology is very outstanding, GF, AMD famous manufacturers such as very rely on it. Mastered the process, and even more advanced 10 nm process, has mastered the voice chip industry in the future.
What is 14/10 nm?
This must also speak of from the basic components of the processor. In general, a microprocessor is made of different materials of many "layer" stack up circuit, which contains tiny components such as transistor, resistor and capacitor. These tiny components is very difficult to see with the naked eye, because their size is very small, and number of intensive hard to imagine.
These small components arranged in rows on a piece of "board", they have gap between each other, this is the gap distance between element and element, the distance with nanometer scale. Later, after the birth of nano concept has been used "nano" (nanometers) to describe the distance.
That is to say, 14/10 nm is chip components, the spacing between the spacing is smaller, the more component is arranged on a chip. This means that the performance even more powerful, more excellent performance of energy efficiency.
This is Intel, samsung has been the pursuit of 14 nm, 10 nm, even is the cause of the 7 nm.
The birth of 14 nm
In 2014, when most of the vendors in the FinFET technology of 22 nm, Intel has pushed into 14 nm process. In the chip industry on the propulsion of Intel can be said to be global.
45 nm technology from 2007, in 2009 to 32 nm process, in 2011 to 22 nm process, 14 to 2014 nm process, unmatched on advanced manufacturing technology, the global manufacturer of envy.
However, Intel's seemingly scenery, also encountered many problems in the process. According to Intel, they should have at the end of 2013 will launch 14 nm test chip, and started production in 2014, but the actual later than the original advance plan for several quarters. Because of the low yield of 14 nm process early, until the end of the second quarter of 2014 to meet production standards.
Samsung's 14 nm process
At the end of 2014, Intel's 14 nm technology launched a few months, samsung has declared 14 nm process directly.
This unprecedented action in an instant sensation in the industry, even the Intel sit still. You know, before that, Intel's manufacturing process is at the absolute leading position in the industry.
Samsung's move to fellow competitors TSMC also to shame, but then grabs the expected, according to former employees to join the company after samsung, TSMC will own 28 nm process leaked to the samsung, for the samsung 14 nm technology progress plays a vital role.
Say this is, after all, samsung jumps over 20 nm, however, direct access to the 14 nm process, and according to TSMC, samsung's 14 nm process technology characteristics with TSMC.
14 nm process view, samsung is not pure.
In addition, TSMC executive also revealed that the earliest FinFET 16 USES nanometer technology, had planned to follow Intel, called 20 nm FinFET. Because the process of the transistors minimum line width (half - pitch) and mass production of the previous generation of 20 nanometers is similar to traditional solid-state technology, just change into new FinFET transistors. However, samsung first named "14 nm"! That is to say, the emergence of samsung, disrupted the market naming convention.
10 nm
Gradually catch up with Intel on 14 nm samsung, on the study of 10 nm, and powerful rival Intel standing almost in the same starting line.
The study of 10 nm, however, does not seem to go well.
According to the plan of Intel, 10 nm are expected to be launched in 2015, due to the jump ticket 14 nm process, disrupted the time node, and the study of 10 nm may encounter a lot of problems.
At present, the Intel 10 nm process has already begun to trial-produce, and said it will in the first half of 2017 production 10 nm, 10 nm products released in the second half of the year.
In contrast, samsung, although in the last year shows the 10 nm wafers, and said he would 10 nm in 2017 production process. But so far, there are few.
With samsung for competitors, TSMC is very high-profile, announced by the end of the start production 10 nm. This is understandable. After all, with samsung for wafer foundry, who won the first, who will be able to get more OEM business.
However, there are professionals, TSMC's 16 is equal to the Intel's twenty nano, 10 is equal to the Intel's twelve nano... In this respect, TSMC is positive recognition.
The progress of nanometer technology that we are in the same size on a chip, can feel more powerful performance; While faster, more province electricity; These smaller crystal components, only need lower turn-on voltage, energy efficiency will also increase; The most important is, the smaller components, with a piece of wafer can more chips can be cut out. Even smaller processes need to be more expensive equipment, the investment cost can be offset by more chips.
Future, 7 nm, 5 nm even nano manufacturing technology will also appear in succession, although have expert analysis, the current 10 nm process maybe will become the physical limits of the silicon transistor. But Intel and other manufacturers will not stop you, because, their pursuit of the "limit" is never-ending.
