Samsung develops 8nm RF chip process tech

Samsung Electronics Co. said Wednesday it has developed an 8-nanometer (nm) process technology for radio frequency (RF) chips as the Korean tech giant eyes to beef up its foundry service for 5G mobile semiconductors.

Samsung said its 8nm foundry will deliver 5G single-chip RF solutions supporting sub-6-gigahertz to millimeter wave spectrum.

A RF integrated circuit is a semiconductor used for radio frequency signal receiving or transmission and analog-digital conversion in connection with a model chip.

Samsung said its 8nm process will improve power efficiency by 35 percent and also reduce chip area by 35 percent compared with the 14nm process.

To minimize resistant, increase of power consumption and degrading power of amplification, Samsung said it used a self-developed RF extreme FET semiconductor device that boosts electron movements.

Such a solution can bring down the number of transistors and power consumption, while reducing the area of an analog circuit, according to the company.

Yonhap