TSMC offers 22nm RRAM, taking MRAM on to 16nm
The company used its virtual European technology symposium to launch both embedded non-volatile memory options pointing out that floating-gate flash memory does not scale from an economic point of view.
TSMC had previously said that it planned to offer embedded resistive RAM in 2019 (see Report: TSMC to offer embedded ReRAM in 2019). Maria Merced, European president of TSMC, and Kevin Zhang, senior vice president of business development, both indicated that Infineon Technologies AG has adopted RRAM for certain specialised microcontrollers.
“Today I am pleased to announce we actually have brought both resistive RAM and MRAM to real production at both the 40nm and 22nm nodes,” Zhang said in a presentation at the virtual technology symposium.
Zhang added that the RRAM is capable of 10-year retention at 125 degrees C and 10,000 cycles of endurance. Details were not provided of the RRAM material structure – of which there are many alternatives. TSMC has published numerous papers on RRAMs based on layered transition metal-oxide structures typically including a TiO2, suggesting bipolar operation.
Zhang said that multiple customers would tape-out ICs with embedded RRAM in 2H20.
TSMC has been offering embedded spin-torque transfer MRAM for some time (see TSMC embedded MRAM is key to Gyrfalcon AI chip). Zhang again emphasized that 22nm embedded MRAM is ready for production and will go through automotive qualification in 4Q20. At the same time he said that MRAM is being taken on to 16nm FinFET platform with flash-like configuration risk production starting in 4Q21 and RAM-like risk production scheduled for 4Q22.
In a Q&A during an online press conference Zhang said: “MRAM and RRAM allow us to scale to smaller geometries. It is a better scaling path than floating gate technology, particularly in terms of cost. The 16nm node is next. We don’t see any issue. We will continue to explore smaller geometries.”
Related links and articles:
News articles:
Second Chinese chipmaker signs up for Weebit’s ReRAM
Report: TSMC to offer embedded ReRAM in 2019
TSMC embedded MRAM is key to Gyrfalcon AI chip
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