TSMC started mass production of chips based on the first N3 (3nm class) manufacturing process a few months after Samsung Foundry started mass production using the 3GAE (3nm class, gate-all-around early) node. However, TSMC’s yields have reportedly improved dramatically. business next Although citing various industry analysts and experts, TSMC has not confirmed the report.
Semiconductor analysts and experts interviewed by Business Next estimate TSMC’s N3 yields are currently at a low of 60% to 70% and a high of 75% to 80%, which is the first Very good as a batch.Financial analyst Dan Naishtedt, meanwhile, said: murmured According to the media, TSMC’s current N3 yield is similar to that of N5 in its early days and could be as high as 80%.
In contrast, Samsung Foundry’s 3GAE yields varied between 10% and 20% in the early stages and haven’t improved, according to a report citing industry sources without elaborating. The report said that there was a great deal of variability in the quality of
Estimates vary widely, but there are a few things to note about TSMC’s current N3 yield. First of all, is the yield calculated against commercial wafers going through his TSMC’s Fab 18, or against commercial and shuttle (test) wafers containing various IPs of TSMC’s customers? I don’t know. Second, no one other than TSMC and its customers knows the exact yield of commercial or shuttle wafers at this time. Thirdly, based on market rumors considering only commercial wafers, TSMC’s N3 is used to create a very limited number of designs for early adopters.
TSMC tends to develop cutting-edge production technology with the requirements of Apple (its largest customer and alpha client for its cutting-edge nodes) in mind, and the Cupertino, Calif.-based tech giant has made a deal with TSMC’s Please keep in mind that we are adjusting the design for functionality. , It is not surprising that the initial yield he could reach 80%. On the other hand, 60% yield rate may not be exactly high for a chip (or chips) set to power mass market products.
In any event, the number of N3 designs in commercial production by TSMC is currently limited (estimated to rarely exceed three ICs), and yield-related data are not available to the foundries and their customers. You can’t because it’s a trade secret protected by Judge his N3 yield high or low for TSMC.
In fact, I’d refrain from comparing TSMC’s N3 yields with Samsung Foundry’s early-stage 3GAE yields for the same reason.
Additionally, bearing in mind the rumors about the first N3 node (aka N3B), other developers are set to use N3E with improved process windows, so Apple will be the only one to adopt this technology. could become an enterprise. On the other hand, his early N3 yield may not be applicable to N3E (and other nodes in his family of N3 technologies), and this process technology, due to its widespread use, is practically industry-wide. is what you should care about.
Modern semiconductor manufacturing technology involves thousands of process steps and is dependent on materials, manufacturing equipment tools used, process recipes, and many other factors. Therefore, there can be thousands of ways to improve or reduce yields. That’s why it’s important to have a deep understanding of how one factor affects another. TSMC’s N3 (N3B), N3E, N3S, N3P, and N3X are very different manufacturing technologies, so early N3 yields bode well for the rest, but other nodes will succeed (or not). ) is not guaranteed.
Note that TSMC did not comment on the news article (and they never comment on yields).
