<s>
In	O
semiconductor	B-Architecture
manufacturing	I-Architecture
,	O
the	O
3	O
nm	O
process	O
is	O
the	O
next	O
die	O
shrink	O
after	O
the	O
5	B-Algorithm
nanometer	I-Algorithm
MOSFET	B-Architecture
(	O
metal	B-Architecture
–	I-Architecture
oxide	I-Architecture
–	I-Architecture
semiconductor	I-Architecture
field-effect	I-Architecture
transistor	I-Architecture
)	O
technology	O
node	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
,	O
Taiwanese	O
chip	O
manufacturer	O
TSMC	O
plans	O
to	O
put	O
a	O
3nm	B-Algorithm
,	O
semiconductor	O
node	O
termed	O
N3	O
into	O
volume	O
production	O
in	O
the	O
second	O
half	O
of	O
2022	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
enhanced	O
3nm	B-Algorithm
chip	O
process	O
called	O
N3E	O
may	O
start	O
production	O
in	O
2023	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
South	O
Korean	O
chipmaker	B-Algorithm
Samsung	B-Application
officially	O
targeted	O
the	O
same	O
time	O
frame	O
as	O
TSMC	O
(	O
as	O
of	O
May	O
2022	O
)	O
with	O
the	O
start	O
of	O
3nm	B-Algorithm
production	O
in	O
the	O
first	O
half	O
of	O
2022	O
using	O
3GAE	O
process	O
technology	O
and	O
with	O
2nd-gen	O
3nm	B-Algorithm
process	O
(	O
named	O
3GAP	O
)	O
to	O
follow	O
in	O
2023	O
,	O
while	O
according	O
to	O
other	O
sources	O
Samsung	B-Application
's	O
3nm	B-Algorithm
process	O
will	O
debut	O
in	O
2024	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
American	O
manufacturer	O
Intel	O
plans	O
to	O
start	O
3nm	B-Algorithm
production	O
in	O
2023	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Samsung	B-Application
's	O
3nm	B-Algorithm
process	O
is	O
based	O
on	O
GAAFET	O
(	O
gate-all-around	O
field-effect	O
transistor	O
)	O
technology	O
,	O
a	O
type	O
of	O
multi-gate	B-Algorithm
MOSFET	I-Algorithm
technology	O
,	O
while	O
TSMC	O
's	O
3nm	B-Algorithm
process	O
will	O
still	O
use	O
FinFET	O
(	O
fin	O
field-effect	O
transistor	O
)	O
technology	O
,	O
despite	O
TSMC	O
developing	O
GAAFET	O
transistors	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Specifically	O
,	O
Samsung	B-Application
plans	O
to	O
use	O
its	O
own	O
variant	O
of	O
GAAFET	O
called	O
MBCFET	O
(	O
multi-bridge	O
channel	O
field-effect	O
transistor	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Intel	O
's	O
process	O
dubbed	O
"	O
Intel	O
3	O
"	O
without	O
the	O
"	O
nm	O
"	O
suffix	O
will	O
use	O
a	O
refined	O
,	O
enhanced	O
and	O
optimized	O
version	O
of	O
FinFET	O
technology	O
compared	O
to	O
its	O
previous	O
process	O
nodes	O
in	O
terms	O
of	O
performance	O
gained	O
per	O
watt	O
,	O
use	O
of	O
EUV	B-Algorithm
lithography	I-Algorithm
,	O
and	O
power	O
and	O
area	O
improvement	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
term	O
"	O
3	B-Algorithm
nanometer	I-Algorithm
"	O
has	O
no	O
relation	O
to	O
any	O
actual	O
physical	O
feature	O
(	O
such	O
as	O
gate	O
length	O
,	O
metal	O
pitch	O
or	O
gate	O
pitch	O
)	O
of	O
the	O
transistors	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
the	O
projections	O
contained	O
in	O
the	O
2021	O
update	O
of	O
the	O
International	O
Roadmap	O
for	O
Devices	O
and	O
Systems	O
published	O
by	O
IEEE	O
Standards	O
Association	O
Industry	O
Connection	O
,	O
a	O
3	B-Algorithm
nm	I-Algorithm
node	O
is	O
expected	O
to	O
have	O
a	O
contacted	O
gate	O
pitch	O
of	O
48	O
nanometers	O
and	O
a	O
tightest	O
metal	O
pitch	O
of	O
24	O
nanometers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
in	O
real	O
world	O
commercial	O
practice	O
,	O
"	O
3	B-Algorithm
nm	I-Algorithm
"	O
is	O
used	O
primarily	O
as	O
a	O
marketing	O
term	O
by	O
individual	O
microchip	O
manufacturers	O
to	O
refer	O
to	O
a	O
new	O
,	O
improved	O
generation	O
of	O
silicon	O
semiconductor	O
chips	O
in	O
terms	O
of	O
increased	O
transistor	O
density	O
(	O
i.e.	O
</s>
<s>
Moreover	O
,	O
there	O
is	O
no	O
industry-wide	O
agreement	O
among	O
different	O
manufacturers	O
about	O
what	O
numbers	O
would	O
define	O
a	O
3nm	B-Algorithm
node	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Typically	O
the	O
chip	O
manufacturer	O
refers	O
to	O
its	O
own	O
previous	O
process	O
node	O
(	O
in	O
this	O
case	O
the	O
5	B-Algorithm
nm	I-Algorithm
process	I-Algorithm
node	O
)	O
for	O
comparison	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
example	O
,	O
TSMC	O
has	O
stated	O
that	O
its	O
3nm	B-Algorithm
FinFET	O
chips	O
will	O
reduce	O
power	O
consumption	O
by	O
25-30	O
%	O
at	O
the	O
same	O
speed	O
,	O
increase	O
speed	O
by	O
10-15	O
%	O
at	O
the	O
same	O
amount	O
of	O
power	O
and	O
increase	O
transistor	O
density	O
by	O
about	O
33%	O
compared	O
to	O
its	O
previous	O
5nm	B-Algorithm
FinFET	O
chips	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
the	O
other	O
hand	O
,	O
Samsung	B-Application
has	O
stated	O
that	O
its	O
3nm	B-Algorithm
process	O
will	O
reduce	O
power	O
consumption	O
by	O
45%	O
,	O
improve	O
performance	O
by	O
23%	O
,	O
and	O
decrease	O
surface	O
area	O
by	O
16%	O
compared	O
to	O
its	O
previous	O
5nm	B-Algorithm
process	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
EUV	O
faces	O
new	O
challenges	O
at	O
3nm	B-Algorithm
which	O
lead	O
to	O
the	O
required	O
use	O
of	O
multipatterning	B-Algorithm
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1985	O
,	O
a	O
Nippon	O
Telegraph	O
and	O
Telephone	O
(	O
NTT	O
)	O
research	O
team	O
fabricated	O
a	O
MOSFET	B-Architecture
(	O
NMOS	B-Algorithm
)	O
device	O
with	O
a	O
channel	O
length	O
of	O
150	O
nm	O
and	O
gate	B-Algorithm
oxide	I-Algorithm
thickness	O
of	O
2.5nm	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1998	O
,	O
an	O
Advanced	O
Micro	O
Devices	O
(	O
AMD	O
)	O
research	O
team	O
fabricated	O
a	O
MOSFET	B-Architecture
(	O
NMOS	B-Algorithm
)	O
device	O
with	O
a	O
channel	O
length	O
of	O
50	O
nm	O
and	O
oxide	O
thickness	O
of	O
1.3nm	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2003	O
,	O
a	O
research	O
team	O
at	O
NEC	O
fabricated	O
the	O
first	O
MOSFETs	B-Architecture
with	O
a	O
channel	O
length	O
of	O
3nm	B-Algorithm
,	O
using	O
the	O
PMOS	B-Algorithm
and	O
NMOS	B-Algorithm
processes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2006	O
,	O
a	O
team	O
from	O
the	O
Korea	O
Advanced	O
Institute	O
of	O
Science	O
and	O
Technology	O
(	O
KAIST	O
)	O
and	O
the	O
National	O
Nano	O
Fab	B-Algorithm
Center	O
,	O
developed	O
a	O
3nm	B-Algorithm
width	O
multi-gate	B-Algorithm
MOSFET	I-Algorithm
,	O
the	O
world	O
's	O
smallest	O
nanoelectronic	B-Algorithm
device	O
,	O
based	O
on	O
gate-all-around	O
(	O
GAAFET	O
)	O
technology	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
late	O
2016	O
,	O
TSMC	O
announced	O
plans	O
to	O
construct	O
a	O
5nm	B-Algorithm
–	O
3nm	B-Algorithm
node	O
semiconductor	B-Algorithm
fabrication	I-Algorithm
plant	I-Algorithm
with	O
a	O
co-commitment	O
investment	O
of	O
around	O
US	O
$15.7	O
billion	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2017	O
,	O
TSMC	O
announced	O
it	O
was	O
to	O
begin	O
construction	O
of	O
the	O
3nm	B-Algorithm
semiconductor	B-Algorithm
fabrication	I-Algorithm
plant	I-Algorithm
at	O
the	O
Tainan	O
Science	O
Park	O
in	O
Taiwan	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
TSMC	O
plans	O
to	O
start	O
volume	O
production	O
of	O
the	O
3nm	B-Algorithm
process	O
node	O
in	O
2023	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
early	O
2018	O
,	O
IMEC	O
(	O
Interuniversity	O
Microelectronics	O
Centre	O
)	O
and	O
Cadence	O
stated	O
they	O
had	O
taped	O
out	O
3nm	B-Algorithm
test	O
chips	O
,	O
using	O
extreme	B-Algorithm
ultraviolet	I-Algorithm
lithography	I-Algorithm
(	O
EUV	O
)	O
and	O
193nm	O
immersion	B-Algorithm
lithography	I-Algorithm
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
early	O
2019	O
,	O
Samsung	B-Application
presented	O
plans	O
to	O
manufacture	O
3nm	B-Algorithm
GAAFET	O
(	O
gate-all-around	O
field-effect	O
transistors	O
)	O
at	O
the	O
3nm	B-Algorithm
node	O
in	O
2021	O
,	O
using	O
its	O
own	O
MBCFET	O
transistor	O
structure	O
that	O
uses	O
nanosheets	O
;	O
delivering	O
a	O
35%	O
performance	O
increase	O
,	O
50%	O
power	O
reduction	O
and	O
a	O
45%	O
reduction	O
in	O
area	O
when	O
compared	O
with	O
7nm	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Samsung	B-Application
's	O
semiconductor	O
roadmap	O
also	O
included	O
products	O
at	O
8	O
,	O
7	O
,	O
6	O
,	O
5	O
,	O
and	O
4nm	O
'	O
nodes	O
 '	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
December	O
2019	O
,	O
Intel	O
announced	O
plans	O
for	O
3nm	B-Algorithm
production	O
in	O
2025	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
January	O
2020	O
,	O
Samsung	B-Application
announced	O
the	O
production	O
of	O
the	O
world	O
's	O
first	O
3nm	B-Algorithm
GAAFET	O
process	O
prototype	O
,	O
and	O
said	O
that	O
it	O
is	O
targeting	O
mass	O
production	O
in	O
2021	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
August	O
2020	O
,	O
TSMC	O
announced	O
details	O
of	O
its	O
N3	O
3nm	B-Algorithm
process	O
,	O
which	O
is	O
new	O
rather	O
than	O
being	O
an	O
improvement	O
over	O
its	O
N5	O
5nm	B-Algorithm
process	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
October	O
2021	O
,	O
Samsung	B-Application
adjusted	O
earlier	O
plans	O
and	O
announced	O
that	O
the	O
company	O
is	O
scheduled	O
to	O
start	O
producing	O
its	O
customers’	O
first	O
3nm-based	O
chip	O
designs	O
in	O
the	O
first	O
half	O
of	O
2022	O
,	O
while	O
its	O
second	O
generation	O
of	O
3nm	B-Algorithm
is	O
expected	O
in	O
2023	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
TSMC	O
also	O
introduced	O
new	O
members	O
of	O
3nm	B-Algorithm
process	O
family	O
:	O
high-density	O
variant	O
N3S	O
,	O
high-performance	O
variants	O
N3P	O
and	O
N3X	O
,	O
and	O
N3RF	O
for	O
RF	O
applications	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
June	O
2022	O
,	O
Samsung	B-Application
started	O
"	O
initial	O
"	O
production	O
of	O
a	O
low-power	O
,	O
high-performance	O
chip	O
using	O
3nm	B-Algorithm
process	O
technology	O
with	O
GAA	O
architecture	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
industry	O
sources	O
,	O
Qualcomm	O
has	O
reserved	O
some	O
of	O
3nm	B-Algorithm
production	O
capacity	O
from	O
Samsung	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
July	O
25	O
,	O
2022	O
,	O
Samsung	B-Application
celebrated	O
the	O
first	O
shipment	O
of	O
3nm	B-Algorithm
Gate-All-Around	O
chips	O
to	O
a	O
Chinese	O
cryptocurrency	O
mining	O
firm	O
PanSemi	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
revealed	O
that	O
the	O
newly	O
introduced	O
3nm	B-Algorithm
MBCFET	O
process	O
technology	O
offers	O
16%	O
higher	O
transistor	O
density	O
,	O
23%	O
higher	O
performance	O
or	O
45%	O
lower	O
power	O
draw	O
compared	O
to	O
an	O
unspecified	O
5nm	B-Algorithm
process	O
technology	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Goals	O
for	O
the	O
second-generation	O
3nm	B-Algorithm
process	O
technology	O
include	O
up	O
to	O
35%	O
higher	O
transistor	O
density	O
,	O
further	O
reduction	O
of	O
power	O
draw	O
by	O
up	O
to	O
50%	O
or	O
higher	O
performance	O
by	O
30%	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
December	O
29	O
,	O
2022	O
TSMC	O
announced	O
that	O
volume	O
production	O
using	O
its	O
3nm	B-Algorithm
process	O
technology	O
N3	O
is	O
under	O
way	O
with	O
good	O
yields	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
company	O
plans	O
to	O
start	O
volume	O
manufacturing	O
using	O
refined	O
3nm	B-Algorithm
process	O
technology	O
called	O
N3E	O
in	O
the	O
second	O
half	O
of	O
2023	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
December	O
2022	O
,	O
at	O
IEDM	O
2022	O
conference	O
,	O
TSMC	O
disclosed	O
a	O
few	O
details	O
about	O
their	O
3nm	B-Algorithm
process	O
technologies	O
:	O
contacted	O
gate	O
pitch	O
of	O
N3	O
is	O
45	O
nm	O
,	O
minimum	O
metal	O
pitch	O
of	O
N3E	O
is	O
23	O
nm	O
,	O
and	O
SRAM	O
cell	O
area	O
is	O
0.0199	O
μm²	O
for	O
N3	O
and	O
0.021	O
μm²	O
for	O
N3E	O
(	O
same	O
as	O
in	O
N5	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Reporting	O
from	O
IEDM	O
2022	O
,	O
semiconductor	O
industry	O
expert	O
Dick	O
James	O
stated	O
that	O
TSMC	O
's	O
3nm	B-Algorithm
processes	O
offered	O
only	O
incremental	O
improvements	O
,	O
because	O
limits	O
have	O
been	O
reached	O
for	O
fin	O
height	O
,	O
gate	O
length	O
,	O
and	O
number	O
of	O
fins	O
per	O
transistor	O
(	O
single	O
fin	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
