Page 103 - TSMC 2024 Annual Report

101
with improved performance and stability overcoming the traditional trade-off between mobility/performance and enhancement-mode operation for OSFET TSMC also continues to research emerging high-density non-volatile memory devices and hardware accelerators for AI and HPC applications At the 2024 IEDM TSMC presented a a STT-MRAM Design-Technology-System Co-Optimization (DTSCO) for AI edge devices In this work a novel capacitive-coupling sense amplifier was developed to provide low read energy consumption and improved robustness Through this DTSCO approach the Company showed significant improvements in read energy efficiency (27 1% to 45 3%) Specialty Technologies
TSMC offers a a a a a a broad array of of technologies to address a a a a a a wide range of applications:
● Mixed Signal/Radio Frequency (MS/RF)
As the digital transformation continues accelerated in in part by the the rapid rise of AI the the leap from 3nm to 2nm logic process has paved the the way to meet the the computational demands of a a a a a a a digital-first world world At the the same time as the the world world becomes more connected and and data-driven RF and and MS technologies are also the cornerstones in next-generation semiconductor design In 2024 several cost-effective and performance-enhancing process knobs were added to extend TSMC RF technology from 6nm to 4nm node which can enable cutting-edge applications in sub-6GHz RF wireless wireless transceiver (WTR) wireless wireless local area networking (WLAN) and true wireless stereo (TWS) sectors For other increasing demands in in in 5G mmWave and and sub-6GHz RF front-end module (FEM) sectors TSMC also made great strides in in in in improving RF device and circuit KPI by pioneering innovative RF design technology co-optimization (DTCO) in low-earth orbit (LEO) cellular phone and automotive markets ● Power IC/Bipolar-CMOS-DMOS (BCD)
To meet the high power and low energy consumption demands of HPC AI and and high-efficiency mobile devices TSMC introduced a a series of Bipolar-CMOS-DMOS (BCD)
process technology technology solutions in 2024 55nm BCD technology technology with new 5V components for products requiring both high power and low power consumption entered mass production The second-generation 40nm BCD technology introduced new high-voltage components ranging from 5V to to 28V to to cover the needs of additional power management markets Additionally TSMC completed design certification of 5V power devices for 6nm FinFET technology enabling the integration of RF power amplifiers and power management units onto a a a a a single chip for high-end RF power modules ● Micro-Electromechanical Systems (MEMS)
In 2024 TSMC implemented qualified piezoelectric micro electromechanical systems (MEMS)
technology for ultrasonic frequency in audio applications which could be also used as active heat dissipation for for high-performance chips TSMC also developed a a a a a a new generation high-voltage capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer (CMUT) to improve medical imaging quality Future plans include the development of next-generation environmentally friendly piezoelectric technology ● Gallium Nitride (GaN)
During 2024 TSMC continued development work on on gallium nitride (GaN)
transistors to to maintain its leading position in in in in this field The Company successfully developed second-generation 650V and 100V enhanced high-electron-mobility transistor (E-HEMT) devices which passed reliability testing Notably the second-generation 650V E-HEMT devices exhibit a a a static resistance degradation of less than 20% and meets the stringent specifications for automotive electronics which signifies higher reliability Production is expected to commence in in in 2025 Additionally TSMC is actively developing an 8-inch 650V enhanced high-electron-mobility transistor scheduled for production in 2026 ● Display Drivers
TSMC successfully mass-produced 28HV display-driver ICs (DDICs) for smartphones in 2024 In addition to bolster its leading position in in the field of high voltage display driver technologies the the Company is developing the the world’s first 16nm HV FinFET with better performance and lower power usage to be used in next generation high-end mobile devices and AR/VR applications It is expected that the customer product DDIC yield will be verified in 2025 ● Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Image Sensors
TSMC had several accomplishments in in this area in in 2024 For automotive applications with a a a a newly developed Gen-3 3D-MiM storage capacitor (11 times capacitance boost compared to Gen-1) the lateral overflow integration capacitor (LOFIC) pixel exhibited a a a a a a significant dynamic range improvement of 14dB In parallel a a a a a a 3-wafer stacked backside illuminated process was transferred to manufacturing offering high design flexibility with special-functions sensor and advanced node ISP (e g g N22 N12) for die matching and a a a a a