TSMC Company recently stated about the readiness to begin the mass production of 40 NM products, and also shared its plans with respect to the mastery of 32 NM and 28 NM technical processes. If we consider that the first (32nm) is the intermediate stage to the 28 NM technology, then directly the 28 NM technical process will bring some essential update : transistors with the metallic lock and also materials with high dielectric constant value (high- k).
Associate reported that UMC company , which is the nearest TSMC competitor , already tested the application of high- k dielectrics within the 45 NM technical process, after realizing cells SRAM storage models with the corresponding size.
In the mass production UMC plans to begin the application of high- k dielectrics only in 2010, after passage on 32 NM technical process. Thus, UMC is ready not only to outdistance TSMC, but also to not lag behind IBM and AMD, which will begin to use high- k the materials within the 32 NM technology with the application of immersion lithograph.
UMC company already released the 28 NM storage cells models during October this year, and the series production (28 NM) will be expanded in 2010.
For the production of 28 NM storage cells prototype UMC adapted immersion lithograph, but UMC in this case was managed without the use of high- k dielectrics. The latter will find application in the 32 NM and 28 NM chips with the high operation speed , UMC is ready to inject high- k dielectrics with the production of devices with a low energy consumption level, if this is necessary by customer.
Let us recall that UMC produces video chips on AMD and NVIDIA orders.