The outlook for the global chip contract industry will remain stable by 2024. TSMC ranks first with a market share of about 60%, followed by Samsung, Taiwan’s UMC, the United States’ GlobalFoundries, China’s SMIC IC, and Huahong. The list has not changed for many years. Among them, the highest ranking in mainland China is SMIC, which ranks fifth, second only to GlobalFoundries Semiconductor in the United States. The standards of the chip industry have changed. SMIC has surpassed TSMC, Samsung, and TSMC to become the world’s third largest semiconductor company. After surpassing UMC in the first quarter, it stabilized again in the second quarter and further widened the gap with Geshor and UMC. The chip level in mainland China has been gradually rising.
In essence, a chip is an integrated circuit (abbreviated as IC) or a carrier of an integrated circuit. It is an electronic device that has been manufactured through semiconductor manufacturing processes such as oxidation, photolithography, diffusion, epitaxy, and aluminum evaporation. The semiconductors, resistors, capacitors and other components required to form a circuit with a certain function and the connecting wires between them are all integrated on a small piece of silicon wafer, and then welded and packaged in a tube shell. Simply put, it is a circuit module that combines multiple electronic components in PCBA to achieve a certain function. Any electronic device that is slightly more complex cannot do without chips.
Why did integrated circuits come into being? This also gives us a glimpse into the original driving force of human technological progress, which is to solve practical problems.
When we stroll leisurely on the street with a laptop computer weighing about 1kg and containing many chips, we might as well imagine the appearance of the world’s first electronic computer born in the United States in 1946: this is a behemoth covering an area of 150 square meters and weighing 30 tons. The circuit inside uses 17,468 electron tubes, 7,200 resistors, 10,000 capacitors, 500,000 lines, and consumes up to 150 kWh of power. Obviously, the large area occupied and the inability to move are its most intuitive and prominent problems. So, can its size be reduced?
The invention of the transistor made this idea possible. The first transistor was manufactured in Bell Laboratories in the United States in 1947. Before that, the current amplification function could only be achieved by electron tubes with large size, high power consumption and fragile structure. Transistors have the main functions of electron tubes and overcome the above-mentioned shortcomings of electron tubes. Therefore, after the invention of transistors, the idea of semiconductor-based integrated circuits soon emerged. In 1958, the world’s first integrated circuit came out, and one of its inventors, Jack Kilby, won the 2000 Nobel Prize in Physics for this.
Compared to the use of individual discrete electronic components in hand-assembled circuits, integrated circuits can burn and integrate a large number of micro-transistors into a small silicon substrate and achieve powerful functions, which is a huge progress.
Where is the difficulty in improving the chip level?
Through the above introduction, you may have some vague understanding in your mind: the so-called chip is like a circuit board, integrating our common electronic components and circuits into a small silicon substrate, which does not feel difficult. Yes, the difficulty is not in theory, but in design ideas and technical processes. The difficulty is that we must be powerful and portable and small in size!
The problem is how to integrate these transistors to the nanometer level. For an ordinary Intel Core CPU, the core part is only a little bigger than a fingernail, but it integrates billions of transistors.
Here, let me explain the meaning of nm in the 3nm, 5nm, and 7nm processes of chips that we often see. Nanometer (symbol nm) is a unit of length, originally called millimeter, which is one billionth of a meter, about the length of 10 atoms. Assuming that the diameter of a hair is 0.05 mm, it is evenly cut into 50,000 strands radially, and the thickness of each strand is about 1 nanometer. In 2003, the Pentium 4E series was launched. It uses a 90nm process, marking the official entry of chip technology into the nano era (it was still at the micron level before).
The value of 5nm refers to the etching size of the processor. Simply put, it is the size of a chip on which we can engrave a unit of transistor. The smaller the etching size, the more computing units there are in a processor of the same size, and the stronger the performance; at the same time, advanced etching technology can also reduce the resistance between transistors, reduce the voltage required by the CPU, and thus greatly reduce the driving power, effectively reducing power consumption and heat generation. Therefore, chips with 5nm process not only mean smaller size, but also the performance of various functions will be improved from generation to generation.
According to authoritative sources, TSMC’s most advanced 5nm process chip technology now has a transistor size of only 20 silicon atoms. They are connected to logic circuits through multiple layers of nano-scale metal wires to achieve multiple functions.
A 7nm chip requires about 4,000 process steps. The construction cost of a 7nm chip manufacturing plant is about 10 billion to 20 billion US dollars, which is almost equivalent to the manufacturing price of an aircraft carrier battle group.
We can even say that from the perspective of technical process, the chip manufacturing process represents the most sophisticated and complex industrial technology of mankind at present, and it is also a process of continuous accumulation and improvement.
There are actually many types of chip levels
In many people’s minds, chips are CPU chips in computers, which is a big misunderstanding. Chips are a general term for semiconductor devices. When you disassemble your computer or mobile phone, as long as it is rectangular, black, and has many metal tentacles welded on each side of the motherboard, they are chips. For example, the graphics card chip responsible for the image, the cache chip on the memory stick, the management chip that controls the power supply, the audio chip responsible for the sound, the control chip responsible for the time, and so on.
In addition, chips are not only found in computers and mobile phones. They are also found in slightly more advanced electronic products, from various testing equipment used in hospitals and scientific research instruments to audio chips in radios, electromagnetic chips in induction cookers and microwave ovens, control chips in washing machines, and even power control chips in the electric bikes we ride. It has become the underlying technology of modern life.
Chips, usually referring to integrated circuits (ICs), are the core components of modern electronic devices. They play an important role in various applications, and their specific functions and roles are as follows:
- Data processing
Chips are able to perform complex calculations and data processing tasks. Microprocessors and microcontrollers are the most common types and are widely used in computers, smartphones, and embedded systems. - Control function
Chips can control the operation of other electronic components. For example, microcontrollers are often used in home appliances, automobiles, and industrial equipment to monitor and control the operation of equipment. - Storage function
Memory chips (such as RAM and ROM) are used to store data and programs. RAM is used to temporarily store data, while ROM is used to permanently store firmware and system startup programs. - Signal Processing
Digital signal processors (DSPs) are specialized for processing audio, video and other signals and are widely used in audio equipment, image processing and communication systems. - Communication
Chips play a key role in wireless communications, including Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and mobile communications. They are responsible for encoding, decoding and transmitting data. - Sensing and Measurement
Sensor chips are used to detect environmental changes (such as temperature, humidity, light, etc.) and convert this information into electrical signals for use by other devices. - Power Management
Power management chips are responsible for regulating and distributing power to ensure the energy efficiency and stability of the device under different working conditions. - Security Functions
Security chips are used to encrypt and decrypt data to protect the security of device and user information, and are widely used in payment systems and identity authentication. - Connectivity
Chips provide various interfaces (such as USB, HDMI, Ethernet, etc.) to enable devices to connect to other devices or networks to achieve data exchange and communication. - Embedded Applications
Many chips are designed as part of embedded systems and are used in fields such as automobiles, medical devices, smart homes, etc. to provide specific functions and services.
In short, chips play an indispensable role in modern electronic devices and promote the development and innovation of science and technology. With the advancement of technology, the functions and application areas of chips are also expanding.
Chips, as the core of all electronic products, have become an indispensable part of our daily life. From small watches and bracelets to large rockets and satellites, chips are indispensable. However, the working environment of various chips is very different. For example, ordinary consumer-grade chips will only run at daily temperatures, and even if they are stuck, they will not have a big impact; chips working in factories may need to endure more “hard” environments, such as high humidity, vibration, dust, etc.; chips used in cars need to ensure long-term stability, and high-speed cars need absolutely reliable chips to ensure that they can drive safely; and chips used in aerospace vehicles must not only withstand the most extreme environment on the planet, but also be threatened by external rays from the universe at all times.
The chip level classification is actually the classification of the severity of the chip application environment. Our common chips are usually divided into four categories: civilian grade (consumer grade), industrial grade, automotive grade and military grade (aerospace grade). The highest specification chip we can currently access is the automotive grade chip. Compared with consumer-grade chips, automotive-grade chips can withstand more extreme temperatures and usage environments.
The chip level is not that simple. It actually involves the entire process from circuit design, manufacturing process to the final chip packaging and testing selection. High-specification chips may not necessarily be suitable for other levels of environment. First of all, the higher the specification of the chip, the higher its price. Paying for an impossible application scenario will reduce the cost-effectiveness of the chip. Moreover, the higher the chip level, the faster the processing speed. Sometimes the chip will sacrifice some performance in order to avoid downtime in special application scenarios. The presence of the chip in the PCB is also crucial. We will find the most suitable PCB for you.
