Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) is aiming to mass produce its 2 nanometer (nm) semiconductor manufacturing process by 2025, according to reports in the Taiwanese media. TSMC is currently preparing to ramp up production of its 3nm node, which is considered one of the world’s most advanced chip manufacturing technologies, and company representatives told Taiwan media that it will continue to lead the global semiconductor industry with next-generation technologies.
TSMC will also acquire ASML’s high-NA EUV chip fabricator in 2024. These details were shared by TSMC’s Senior Vice President for R&D and Technology, Dr. Y.J. Mii, and reported by United News (UDN). A key constraint in the chip manufacturing industry, and often a key factor in determining whether a company can gain a lead over its competitors.
Manufacturing technologies covering advanced 7nm and smaller products require the use of extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUV) machines to print billions of tiny circuits in small areas, currently used only by TSMC, Samsung and Intel worldwide – however, further advances in chip manufacturing technology, involving further reductions in circuit size, will make it difficult for chipmakers to continue using these machines.
The next phase of chip manufacturing will see manufacturers turn to machines with larger lenses. These are called high NA (digital aperture), and TSMC will receive them in 2024. It thus appears that these machines will be used to make chips for the 2nm manufacturing process, as the executive also stressed that this technology will enter mass production in 2025. The timeline confirms early estimates provided by the company at its first technology symposium in the U.S. earlier this year, where it is building a brand new plant with a tentative goal of producing 5nm chips by 2024.
Since the conference in the U.S., TSMC has also held other events in Asia to share details of its 2nm manufacturing technology. These events revealed that, as of now, the company is aiming to make its new technology 10 to 15 percent more performant than the current state-of-the-art 3nm technology; in addition, the new technology can reduce power consumption by 25 to 30 percent.
Another TSMC executive revealed that when his company gets these machines in 2024, they will initially be used only for R&D and collaboration purposes before moving to mass production. Acquiring the advanced machines is only the first step in acquiring these valuable capital assets, as companies must then work with the machines’ sole manufacturer, ASML of the Netherlands, to tune the machines to their desired requirements.
These latest details were shared by executives at TSMC’s Taiwan Technology Forum earlier this month, where they also outlined the progress of 3nm chip manufacturing. They outlined that the first generation of 3nm technology is expected to be produced this year, while an advanced version, dubbed N3E, will enter the production line next year.
TSMC’s 3nm technology has been at the center of several controversies this year, as its rival Samsung preempted a mass production announcement in the first half of the year and market reports said TSMC would cut capital spending due to order problems at Intel Corp.
