TSMC having more issues with 40nm chip yields.
"Taiwanese chipmakers TSMC are having temporary problems with their 40nm process yeilds."
Published: 31st October 2009 | Source: TSMC |
TSMC having more issues with 40nm chip yields.
The Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation (TSMC), who make GPUs for ATI and NVIDIA have recently reported even more issues with their 40nm chip yields. TSMC say that their yields have dropped down to 60% on the 40nm parts, although Morris Chang, Chairman and CEO of TSMC has said that the issues will be resolved within this quarter.
ATI’s 5800 series is based on 40nm technology, and NVIDIA’s upcoming GT300 core will also be built on the 40nm process so these issues affect both manufacturers.
Yield is basically the amount of chips on a silicon wafer that actually work to their full specifications. A while ago I posted this in-depth explanation of yield on the forums if you’d like to know more about yield and the GPU manufacturing process.
During the earlier days of TSMC’s 40nm process, they could only produce a 20-30% yield; however by July those figures were up to 60%. Apparently the yield has dropped to 40% due to ‘Chamber matching issues’, what that actually means I’m not quite sure, I’m a computer enthusiast not a scientist!
We certainly wish the guys and girls at TSMC a lot of luck in getting their 40mn process back up to full speed, as at the end of it all, a higher yield means cheaper GPUs with better availability.
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