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Writer's pictureRich Washburn

Beyond the Nanometer: How Backside Power and Nanosheet Transistors will Redefine Microchips


Backside Power and Nanosheet Transistors

A revolution is underway that could reshape the entire microchip industry. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) and Intel are at the forefront, each pushing the boundaries of what's possible with their groundbreaking advancements in transistor technology and power delivery systems.


TSMC recently unveiled its 1.6 nanometer (nm) technology, signaling a significant leap from the existing 3nm standards. This new technology pivots around two pivotal innovations: the nanosheet transistor and a novel approach to power delivery known as backside power delivery. These innovations promise not only increased transistor density but also enhanced power efficiency—critical in today's power-hungry devices.


Nanosheet transistors, an evolution from the FinFET design, offer a new form of gate architecture. Unlike the traditional FinFET, which utilizes a three-dimensional gate structure to enhance control over the electronic channel, nanosheet transistors stack multiple sheets horizontally, allowing for an increase in the number of gates without expanding the chip's footprint. This structure is encased by the gate material, enhancing control and reducing leakage currents—a persistent challenge as transistors shrink.


However, it's TSMC's introduction of backside power delivery that stands as potentially the most transformative advancement. By relocating power delivery to the underside of the chip, this technology liberates space on the top side, allowing for denser and more efficient circuit designs. This arrangement also simplifies the interconnect layout, reducing signal interference and boosting overall chip performance.


Intel, not to be outdone, is also innovating in this space with its RibbonFET technology, Intel's brand for its gate-all-around transistors, and PowerVia, its own version of backside power delivery. Intel’s 20A node, set to debut these technologies, represents a critical juncture for the company, which has been perceived as trailing behind its competitors in recent years.


Imagine a smartphone that charges monthly and computes faster than today's desktops. This is within our reach thanks to these advancements. With the implementation of nanosheet transistors and backside power delivery, mobile devices can host much more powerful chips without a significant increase in size or energy consumption. Such chips can efficiently handle AI computations locally, reducing the need for constant cloud connectivity and enhancing user privacy and device capability.


This technology could redefine not only consumer electronics but also the capabilities of edge devices in the Internet of Things, where efficient, powerful computation needs to happen in real-time, on the device, without pinging back to a data center.



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