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The title is kind of misleading. > TSMC made every effort to avoid detailing the actual properties of that channel (every related question was met with the tau
by danaos 7y ago
The title is kind of misleading.
> TSMC made every effort to avoid detailing the actual properties of that channel (every related question was met with the tautology: “those who know, know”). [...] We believe TSMC is employing a SiGe channel for the pMOS devices
- baybal2 7y agoThere is only one known high mobility material availing to easy integration with silicon MOS process None of InP, SiC, GaN, GaAs or other 3-5 materials been ever integrated with silicon in a fab setting for IC production. And only one material out there makes sense to use specifically for pMOS production: high hole mobility is much rarer trait than high electron mobility.
- grosswait 7y agoAnd that material is what?
- nicoburns 7y agoGermanium presumably, as that is the material that it is mentioned that they are using.
- madengr 7y agoIsn’t MACOMs process GaN on Si, which is cheaper, but lousy thermal performance compared to GaN on SiC. I thought they were touting GaN integration with CMOS?
- baybal2 7y agoGaN on Si is a thing from a completely different ballpark. Here we talk about material integration per-device basis, not entire wafer surface.
- exikyut 7y agoSounds like the details are still under NDA. Military contracts come to mind - conservatively long, too long, and sufficiently bureaucratically mired that the company's own announcement came before the red tape had properly moved out of the way. Or something.