Samsung has started mass production socs on 10nm finfet process

Samsung has started finfet production of system-on-a-chips at 10nm. The process makes smaller and more economical chips possible, according to the manufacturer. The first smartphones with the 10nm chips should appear next year.

Currently, for example, Samsung makes its own Exynos socs of Galaxy smartphones at 14nm and in its fabs the company has now started 10nm production. The 10LPE process ensures that the surface of chips can be reduced by 30 percent with the same features. As a result, processors offer 27 percent better performance or a 40 percent decrease in consumption compared to the second 14nm generation, 14LPP, claims Samsung. The company uses a triple-patterning lithography technique to apply the 10-nanometer structures to the silicon.

The first products with the 10nm chips will be released at the beginning of 2017 and Samsung will further increase production during the year. This is the first generation of 10nm production. The mass production of the second, more economical variant, which Samsung calls 10LPP, will start in the second half of next year.

Competitor TSMC announced at the end of September that it would also start mass production of 10nm finfet chips in 2016. Intel is still at 14nm with Kaby Lake. The nanometer designation is derived from the smallest structures described, but there are several ways to measure this. According to experts, Intel’s 14nm process is comparable at the feature level and in terms of density to the 10nm production techniques of Samsung and TSMC.

The Exynos 8 Octa from the Galaxy Note 7, S7 Edge and S7