|
|
|
|
The first process in TSMC's
Nexsys 90nm process technology family rollout moves forward with completion
of the general purpose process (CLN90G) qualification. The general purpose process
will be the foundry industry's only standard low-k process available at
the 90nm node. It will feature 2.5 volt I/O. A 1.8 volt I/O version and
3.3 volt I/O version is expected to be ready by the fourth quarter of
the year. All processes feature low-k (Black Diamond |
 TSMC Nexsys 90-nm technology runs exclusively on 300mm wafers. |
The
Nexsys 90-nm technology will provide twice the density, an approximately
35 percent speed gain and 60 percent power saving over the 0.13-micron General
Purpose process. In addition, the 90nm process will feature multiple Vt
devices, nine metal layers with the top two layers featuring thicker copper
for improved RDL redistribution, a circuit-under-pad (CUP) process,and ultra-high-density
(UHD) SRAM cell (0.99£gm ) |
|
to provide the best chip size/performance choice. A standard poly fuse (electrical fuse) creates the option for designing a one time programmable (OTP) device. |
|
Critical Low-k Issues Resolved TSMC is the only foundry to offer 0.13-micron low-k and, as a conse-quence, has resolved some of the thornier issues surrounding this new material. One of the more critical low-k issues has been device packaging. TSMC has worked with the industry's two largest packaging firms to successfully resolve packaging issues at the 0.13-micron node. As a consequence, the Nexsys 90nm process is compatible with most pack-aging types, including flip-chip and wire-bond packaging. Several engineering samples
of customer devices produced on the Nexsys 90-nm technology have already
been shipped during the qualification process. The company expects to
have more than 20 tape outs before the second quarter of next year, with
volume ramp anticipated sometime in the second half of the year. Nexsys
90nm prototyping is available every quarter on TSMC's CyberShuttle |
 Nexsys 90nm CyberShuttle Service Schedule |
Looking toward the future, TSMC is expected to release Nexsys 90-nm mixed signal/RF embedded high density memory, and embedded nonvolatile memory processes over the next two years. |
 |
      
|
 |
90-nm Technology
)
IMD material. Full product qualification, with different vehicles, will
be completed by the end of the first quarter, 2004.
service. Shuttle runs for both the general purpose (CLN90G) and low power
(CLN90LP) processes are available now. Service for the high speed (CLN90HS)
process will be available in the third quarter of this year, depending
on demand. The latest Nexsys information is available on TSMC-Online,
the company's customer-exclusive web site.