TSMC’s 2nm Chip Test Run Falls Short: Yield Issues Delay Mass Production

The Future of Chips: Understanding Process Nodes and Yields

When you hear the word "yield," you might think of the number of apples you harvest from a tree. However, in the world of chip manufacturing, yield has a different meaning. It refers to the percentage of usable chips that pass quality control after being diced from a silicon wafer.

The Impact of Yield on Chip Manufacturing

For chip foundries, yield is crucial. A low yield means they need to produce more wafers to meet the demand for chips, increasing costs and potentially leading to supply shortages. In the chip manufacturing process, a yield of 70% or higher is typically required to mass-produce chips at a given process node. This means that foundries need to balance the number of defects with the desired performance of the chip.

Process Nodes: What’s All the Fuss About?

So, what makes process nodes so important? In simple terms, as process numbers get lower, transistor sizes shrink, resulting in a higher transistor count and density. This typically leads to more powerful and energy-efficient chips. With TSMC’s latest 2nm node, they’re using a new transistor called Gate-All-Around (GAA), which offers improved performance and efficiency.

A Closer Look at GAA Transistors

GAA transistors use vertically positioned horizontal nanosheets to surround the channel on all four sides. This design reduces leakage and increases drive currents, resulting in improved performance. Compared to FinFET transistors, which only cover three sides, GAA transistors offer a significant boost.

Inside TSMC’s Fab: A Sneak Peek

Take a look at the inside of a TSMC fab in Taiwan.

Yield Woes: The Competition’s Challenge

While TSMC is on track to reach a yield of 70% or higher on their 2nm node, their rival Samsung Foundry is facing yield issues. Last month, Samsung denied rumors of canceling the Exynos 2600, citing low yields ranging from 10% to 20%. This wouldn’t be the first time Samsung Foundry has struggled with yield problems, with a notable example being their low yields on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, leading Qualcomm to shift production to TSMC.

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