Japanese companies failed to invest in cutting-edge semiconductor technology in the past decade. (File PC)
TOKYO: Japan’s ambition to fabricate cutting-edge 2-nanometer chips moves closer to reality as Rapidus learns how to develop such chips from IBM through a partnership announced Tuesday, but the country lacks technologies and expertise in other processes needed to make those chips.
The US company and Rapidus, a new chipmaker backed by Japan’s government, seek to develop technology allowing for mass production of the advanced chips later in the decade.
Japan has the pieces to make this project a success, Dario Gil, IBM’s senior vice president and director of research, told reporters in Tokyo.
Japan once stood at the forefront of the semiconductor industry. When it comes to semiconductor production equipment and materials, several Japanese companies still flex the technological muscle. Shin-Etsu Chemical controls the top share internationally in silicon wafers, while Tokyo Electron is strong in wafer cleaning and coating devices.
But during the 2010s, Japanese chipmakers were unable to keep up with technological investments in advanced logic semiconductors, which are considered the brains of high-end smartphones. Japanese companies now find themselves lacking in a range of technical skills needed for mass production of next-generation chips.
For one, Japanese chipmakers need to understand the structure of 2-nm semiconductors. Conventional logic chips have near-planar circuitry structures. But the sophistication of 2-nm products means developers need to start thinking in three dimensions.
IBM developed a prototype 2-nm chip last year using a new architecture. As part of the deal, Rapidus will gain a license for developing circuits based on this technology.
“We were able to build a trust-based relationship with IBM, which holds the technology,” Rapidus president Atsuyoshi Koike said. “We can certainly realise” mass production.
Rapidus was founded this year through a partnership of eight Japanese companies, including Toyota Motor and Sony Group, that invested a total of ¥7.3 billion (US$53 million). The government pledged to provide about ¥70 billion in subsidies.
To gain access to the latest production tech, Rapidus agreed on Dec 6 to collaborate with Imec, a Belgian research institute developing extreme ultraviolet lithography, which is essential for making advanced chips.
Right now, Japanese manufacturers of logic chips can achieve products only as advanced as 40 nm, and such chips are inadequate for controlling today’s electronic devices. Nanometer size refers to the distance between transistors on a chip – the smaller the number, generally speaking, the more powerful the chip.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co and Sony are building a plant in Japan’s Kumamoto prefecture that will fabricate 12-nm chips, which remain generations behind the most advanced versions.
Fabricating semiconductors involves more than 500 processes, and it takes atomic-level precision, in the words of Gil, to finely etch circuits on chips. However, Japan is in short supply of engineers and professionals who can organise production lines and operate them efficiently.
Other global chipmakers are struggling with mass production of cutting-edge chips. Intel, once the technological leader in logic chips, ran into delays during the late 2010s in launching advanced products for the market, and now the company has fallen behind TSMC and other rivals. Samsung Electronics has been unable to raise the yield rate of its 5-nm chips.
Japan is moving swiftly to revive its advanced-chip industry and is entering tie-ups with Western partners, a flurry of activity driven by looming geopolitical risks. Taiwan makes 90% of the world’s advanced logic semiconductors. A cross-strait crisis with mainland China, which claims the self-ruled island, would disrupt the global supply chain.
The US spent much effort to attract TSMC’s planned American plant as part of the country’s goal to establish its own supply chain for advanced chips.
IBM, being a fabless operation, was looking for quality chip manufacturers to support the commercialisation of supercomputers and quantum computers. Tokyo and Washington are aligned on developing semiconductor supply chains, so IBM looked to Japan as a strategic partner.
Though Rapidus landed a key corporate ally, the new company faces an uphill battle in regaining technological prowess for Japan.
“It won’t be easy for Rapidus to make up for 10 to 20 years’ worth of delays,” Koike said.
