Samsung Foundry has certified Siemens’ Analog FastSPICE platform for its forthcoming 3nm node, which will mark a switch from Samsung’s current FinFET technology to Gate All Around (GAA) transistors.
Analog FastSPICE is now enabled in Samsung’s 3nm process design kit, which was first released in May 2019 during the Samsung Foundry Forum. Analog FastSPICE comprises a set of tools for analog/mixed-signal circuit verification, and according to Siemens it’s “the world’s fastest nanometer circuit verification platform for analog, RF, mixed-signal, and custom digital circuits.”
Samsung’s GAAFET Bet
Samsung Foundry’s 3nm process is a significant shift for the semiconductor giant. While the past several generations of processes have used FinFET transistors, the new 3nm node will switch to GAAFETs. In particular, a type of GAAFET called a nanosheet GAAFET, which uses much wider channels than so-called nanowire GAAFETs (see illustration above). Samsung calls its nanosheet GAAFETS by the trademark of Multi-Bridge Channel FET, or MBCFET.
Samsung’s MBCFETs have a lower operating voltage than the current FinFETs, from 0.75V to 0.7V. The new transistors will offer 30 percent more performance with 50 percent less power and a 45 percent area reduction.
Samsung has been developing its MBCFET technology since the early 2000s, and expects it to be ready for mass production by late 2022. Competing foundry TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company) has opted to remain with FinFETs for its 3nm node, though it claims to have achieved performance gains comparable to what Samsung is claiming for its upcoming GAA-based process.
Watch this video for a quick introduction to MBCFETs:
Analog FastSPICE for the MBCFET Process
“With its newest process, Samsung Foundry continues to deliver highly innovative technology for the manufacture of the most sophisticated of IC designs,” praised Siemens' Ravi Subramanian, Senior Vice President of IC Verification Solutions.
Considering Samsung is gearing up to launch its 3nm node within the next couple years, its customers will need to have access to verification tools for the new process. Siemens’ Analog FastSPICE verification platform, which is already certified by major foundries for 5nm FinFET processes, is a logical option. According to Siemens, the platform delivers nanometer SPICE accuracy 5x faster than traditional SPICE and 2x faster than parallel SPICE simulation.
“Samsung and Siemens have an established track record of collaboration to enable our mutual customers to fully leverage the [Analog FastSPICE] platform, and we are pleased that the AFS platform is now certified for early design starts on the very latest Samsung Foundry process,” said Sangyun Kim, Vice President of Foundry Design Technology Team at Samsung Electronics. “The combined expertise of Samsung Foundry and Siemens provides designers the ability to develop and quickly verify innovative ICs for a variety of high-growth markets and applications.”