LONDON — Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. has announced that a recently-formed semiconductor R&D center has begun work on advanced process development for use in foundry manufacturing.
Samsung (Seoul, South Korea) did not state where the center is located, how much the company would spend on the center or how many engineers are working there.
The company said that Samsung Foundry is in mass production at 45-nm and is preparing for 32- and 28-nm production through Samsung's participation in the IBM Technology Alliance. The newly-formed Semiconductor R&D center brings together logic and memory process research teams to investigate materials, transistor structures, and to provide early access to leading-edge process equipment, Samsung added.
The Semiconductor R&D center is working on sub-28-nm process technology. At these nodes the company expects to make use of memory process development advancements in foundry logic processes and vice versa. Technologies under research include high-K dielectrics, 3-D transistors, and extreme ultra violet (EUV) lithography. Interconnect and packaging including through silicon via are also expected to be important at these nodes.
"Samsung has made significant progress in the foundry business this year, with new customer signings and good technical results on our most advanced nodes," said Stephen Woo, executive vice president and general manager of Samsung Electronics' System LSI Division. "The Semiconductor R&D Center will significantly increase the resources focused on foundry logic process technology and will work with our current logic process development team to develop the most advanced process nodes. This way we maintain focus on meeting the needs of our foundry customers whilst also leveraging the world's leading expertise in memory."
"There is critical R&D work to be done at the most advanced process nodes with regards to minimizing power consumption while incorporating a feature-rich menu of devices for designers to create innovative next-generation mobile and high performance SoC devices," said Kinam Kim, executive vice president and general manager of Samsung Electronics' Semiconductor R&D Center.
Samsung said its work at the new R&D center would complement work with the IBM Technology Alliance and at IMEC and Sematech.
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