The GAA concept is viewed by semiconductor manufacturers as a next-generation transistor structure that opens the door to further IC development. Each semiconductor chip contains a huge number of transistors, and the importance of the gate as a current regulator increases as the size of the transistor decreases.
Sony: Purchased GAA patent from Intel: For image sensor (CIS)?
Sony:
Sony acquired 30 GAA patents from Intel in the second half of last year.
GAA (Gate-All-Around) patent:
It was revealed that Sony had obtained about 30 GAA (Gate-All-Around) patents for next-generation semiconductor process technology from Intel in the second half of last year.
Next-generation image sensor competition:
Currently, Samsung Electronics is also developing GAA technology in the semiconductor industry.
System Semiconductor Image Sensor (CIS) Market:
GAA is a next-generation transistor.
GAA refers to “next-generation transistor structure for overcoming the miniaturization limit of semiconductors”.
“Ten millions to hundreds of millions of each semiconductor chip” will be installed.
The more “the size of the transistor becomes smaller”, the more important the “role of the gate that regulates the current” becomes.
Conventional problems:
The conventional Planar transistor has a problem that “channels through which current flows are in contact with each other on one surface, and leakage current occurs”.
3D structure process technology:
To improve this, a 3D structure process technology was developed.
This is a fish-like FinFET transistor.
The contact points between the gate and the channel have been expanded to three sides to improve the performance of the semiconductor.
Samsung Electronics:
Samsung Electronics plans to introduce GAA in a process of 3 nanometers or less.
In addition, the original technology “MBC FET (Multi Bridge Channel FET)” is under development.
MBCFET: Paper-thin and long nanosheets are stacked to improve power efficiency.
For Sony:
Compared to IBM, GlobalFoundries, etc., it had far fewer GAA-related patents.
By securing the technology from Intel this time, the’patent strength evaluation ranking’has risen to 6th place in the industry. ..
Acceptance of the semiconductor industry:
Sony analyzes that the reason for purchasing the GAA patent is that “the technology to be introduced into the product in the future has been secured in advance.”
After all, it is expected that “it is likely to be applied to image sensor (CIS) technology”.
Market research company “YOLE Development”:
Sony is at the end of 2019,
In the world image sensor market, it has the top sales share of 42%.
Samsung Electronics is in second place following the top Sony.
However, the sales share is only 21%.
https://kaigaiuchu.com/chinakorea-53279/
Sony bought patents from Intel for the development of GAA transistors
The GAA concept
is viewed by semiconductor manufacturers as a next-generation transistor structure that opens the door to further IC development.
Each semiconductor chip
contains a huge number of transistors, and the importance of the gate as a current regulator increases as the size of the transistor decreases.
At the moment,
Samsung Electronicshas the most advanced experience in the development of GAA transistors.
It is followed by TSMC and Intel.
The purchase of patents from Intel
allowed Sony to rise higher in the list of manufacturers associated with the development of GAA transistors.
According to industry sources,
the Japanese companyintends to use these patents in the development of its future products.
Given Sony’s current line of business, it is likely planning to use them in the production of new image sensors.
Aroged