10-nm Mobile AP
Samsung Electronics announced on April 20 that it has completed the development of its second-generation 10-nanometer FinFET process technology and will secure more 10-nm foundry business partners. Compared to Samsung’s first-generation 10nm process called 10LPE, 10LLP offers higher performance and lower power consumption.
FinFET is a three-dimensional structure technology that designs and produces system semiconductor. With the FinFET technology, the chipset can be operated with voltage half the level of the previous two-dimensional gate and has much less leakage currents.
With further enhancements in the 3D FinFET structure, the second generation 10LPP allows up to 10% performance or 15% lower power consumption when compared to the first generation 10LPE process with the same area scaling. Samsung Electronics succeeded in mass producing the first-generation 10-nm FinFET process for the first time in the industry in October 2016 and adopted the technology on its premium mobile application processors (APs) such as Exynos 9 and Qualcomm's Snapdragon 835, leading the 10-nm market.
Samsung Electronics’ mobile AP built on a 10-nm process technology is currently used on the Galaxy S8. Through its second-generation 10-nm process, the company said it seeks to diversify its foundry clients while applying its technology to a wider scope of industries, including computing, wearables, the Internet of Things and network segments.
In addition, Samsung Electronics plans to expand its 10-nm production facilities at the S3 line located in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, by the end of the fourth quarter of this year in order to prepare for a rising 10-nm foundry demand. It means that the company pledges clients for more stable mass production. Accordingly, it is expected to receive a constant stream of inquiries from global information communication technology (ICT) companies.
Meanwhile, Samsung Electronics plans to share its foundry technology roadmap and details, including the latest 8-nm and 6-nm process technologies, with client and partner companies at the Samsung Foundry Forum to be held in the U.S. on Mary 24.