Future Trends in Electronic Components

What's next for chips beyond 2nm?   The semiconductor industry is fairly certain how to design and make new chips at least until 2030, but there is some uncertainty beyond that point. Beyond 2030, the semiconductor industry could extend today’s technologies or migrate to something new. For example, in R&D, the industry is working on several futuristic transistor candidates, such as 2D FETs, CFETs and others, to enable new, advanced chips in the distant future. Chiplets is also an emerging option.   The latest developments on these technologies were presented in various papers at this week’s IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting (IEDM) in San Francisco.   Transistors, a key building blocks in chips, are tiny structures that serve as a switch in devices. Advanced chips each have billions of transistors.   For years, chips mainly consisted of planar transistors. Planar transistors are still used in today's chips, but they have certain limitations.   In response, Intel in 2011 migrated to a new, high-performance transistor called finFETs. Intel and others soon shipped various chips, such as GPUs and processors, using finFETs.   Now, finFETs face some limitations. So starting at the 3nm or 2nm nodes, the semiconductor industry will embrace a new transistor technology called gate-all-around (GAA). At 3nm, Samsung recently manufactured and shipped the world’s first chips based on a GAA transistor technology called nanosheet FETs. In R&D, Intel and TSMC are also developing nanosheet FET processes at 2nm.   Nanosheet FET transistors are expected to extend to the 14A node in 2027/2028, but they may reach the limit at the 10A node in 2029, according to a presentation from TEL at IEDM. What’s next? The industry has proposed several new transistor types on the roadmap, but nothing is concrete. The futuristic transistor types face several manufacturing and cost challenges. For now, though, the next transistor type on the roadmap is called complementary FETs (CFETs). CFETs could appear at the 10A node in 2029, according to TEL. At IEDM, Imec, Intel, Samsung and TSMC presented papers on CFETs. Intel demonstrated a CFET with a 60nm gate pitch. “Our most scaled devices consist of 3 nMOS on top of 3 pMOS nanoribbons with 30nm vertical separation," said Marko Radosavljević from Intel in a paper at IEDM. CFETs may extend to the 3A node in 2035, according to TEL. Then, the industry could move to 2D-based transistors, which incorporate transition metal dichalcogenide channel materials. At IEDM, TSMC presented a paper on a 2D device with a 12nm nMOS contact length and a 10nm gate length.   Other futuristic technologies are also in R&D, such as carbon nanotube FETs and Forksheet FETs.   There are other options that are available today. Some are currently shipping devices using chiplets, which integrates different dies in a package. Chiplets will play a big role in the future.  

Headline: Quantum Material Breakthrough Could Make Electronics 1,000 Times Faster ⸻ Introduction: A transformative leap in electronics may be on the horizon, thanks to researchers at Northeastern University who have discovered a way to instantly switch the electronic state of matter. Their work with quantum materials could lead to devices that are not only exponentially faster but also significantly smaller and more energy-efficient than today’s silicon-based electronics. ⸻ Key Details: What Was Discovered • Researchers developed a method to toggle a quantum material between an insulating and conducting state at will. • This process, known as “thermal quenching”, involves rapid heating and cooling to control the material’s electronic properties. Why It’s Important • Speed Boost: Current processors operate at gigahertz speeds. This new approach could enable electronics to function at terahertz frequencies—up to 1,000 times faster. • Instant Switching: The transition between conductive and non-conductive states can be reversed instantly, mimicking the behavior of transistors, but with vastly improved speed and scale. How It Works • The material can be reprogrammed in real time, allowing for dynamic control over its electronic behavior. • Unlike traditional semiconductors that require physical changes or applied voltages, this method uses precise thermal control to switch states. Broader Scientific Context • The findings were published in Nature Physics, emphasizing their credibility and significance in the scientific community. • This represents a key advancement in quantum materials science, a field that explores novel states of matter with unique electronic, magnetic, or optical properties. ⸻ Why It Matters: • Replaces Silicon: As traditional silicon transistors reach physical limits, quantum materials offer a pathway to next-generation processors. • Miniaturization and Efficiency: Devices can be smaller, faster, and more energy-efficient, supporting everything from mobile tech to advanced AI systems. • Industry Impact: This could radically shift the future of computing, telecommunications, and even quantum technologies by laying the groundwork for ultrafast, reconfigurable electronics. This discovery brings us one step closer to a world where computing power is no longer bottlenecked by the limitations of silicon—and where the speed of innovation truly enters the terahertz era. Keith King https://lnkd.in/gHPvUttw

Using light as a neural network, as this viral video depicts, is actually closer than you think. In 5-10yrs, we could have matrix multiplications in constant time O(1) with 95% less energy. This is the next era of Moore's Law. Let's talk about Silicon Photonics... The core concept: Replace electrical signals with photons. While current processors push electrons through metal pathways, photonic systems use light beams, operating at fundamentally higher speeds (electronic signals in copper are 3x slower) with minimal heat generation. It's way faster. While traditional chips operate at 3-5 GHz, photonic devices can achieve >100 GHz switching speeds. Current interconnects max out at ~100 Gb/s. Photonic links have demonstrated 2+ Tb/s on a single channel. A single optical path can carry 64+ signals. It's way more energy efficient. Current chip-to-chip communication costs ~1-10pJ/bit. Photonic interconnects demonstrate 0.01-0.1pJ/bit. For data centers processing exabytes, this 200x improvement means the difference between megawatt and kilowatt power requirements. The AI acceleration potential is revolutionary. Matrix operations, fundamental to deep learning, become near-instantaneous: Traditional chips: O(n²) operations. Photonic chips: O(1) - parallel processing through optical interference. 1000×1000 matmuls in picoseconds. Where are we today? Real products are shipping: — Intel's 400G transceivers use silicon photonics. — Ayar Labs demonstrates 2Tb/s chip-to-chip links with AMD EPYC processors. Performance scales with wavelength count, not just frequency like traditional electronics. The manufacturing challenges are immense. — Current yield is ~30%. Silicon's terrible at emitting light and bonding III-V materials to it lowers yield — Temp control is a barrier. A 1°C change shifts frequencies by ~10GHz. — Cost/device is $1000s To reach mass production we need: 90%+ yield rates, sub-$100 per device costs, automated testing solutions, and reliable packaging techniques. Current packaging alone can cost more than the chip itself. We're 5+ years from hitting these targets. Companies to watch: ASML (manufacturing), Intel (data center), Lightmatter (AI), Ayar Labs (chip interconnects). The technology requires major investment, but the potential returns are enormous as we hit traditional electronics' physical limits.

7 Major Trends of Semiconductor Industry in 2025 --> Sub-2nm Technology: Sub-2nm technology introduces transistors with a gate pitch as small as 45nm and a metal pitch of 20nm. Various semiconductor manufacturers are exploring new FEOL technologies such as MBCFET, GAAFET, and RibbonFET. These lead to remarkable improvements in overall performance. --> 3D stacking As the cost of 3D stacking gradually decreases, this technology is becoming more accessible finding applications in cutting-edge consumer electronics to critical automotive and medical devices. --> Advanced Materials: Redefining Semiconductor Efficiency High-k dielectric materials are replacing conventional silicon dioxide in gate insulators. This shift minimizes leakage current and facilitates the creation of smaller transistor dimensions improving device performance. --> Workforce Challenges: Bridging the Skills Gap The shortage of skilled workers poses a considerable challenge, making it imperative for the industry to invest in training programs and educational initiatives. Addressing this workforce gap is crucial to sustaining the industry’s growth trajectory. --> Chiplets: Revolutionizing SoC Design and Manufacturing Designing with multiple chiplets necessitates managing diverse manufacturing flows and bringing them together seamlessly. This approach not only offers greater flexibility but also sets new standards for chip designers, driving development of next-gen ASICs. --> AI-Driven Solutions: Tackling Complexity at Sub-2nm Level AI-driven solutions are emerging as a powerful tool to navigate Sub 2 nm complexity. High-resolution AI solutions accelerate the development process, ensuring high yields, improved performance, and reduced time to market. EDA tool vendors are leveraging AI to empower chip designers, facilitating a smoother transition between generations. --> Cost Challenges: Innovating Amidst Margin Pressures As costs rise, new manufacturing houses face hurdles in realizing faster returns on investment. P.S. If you're looking for semiconductor insights and engineering breakdowns, check out our blog The Semiconductor World — a guide to chips in simple terms. Link in the comments. #Semiconductors #ChipValidation #PostSilicon #TestAutomation #AIChips #HardwareTesting #LabAutomation #TestFlow #ATOMS #ValidationEngineering