TSMC unveils 1.6nm process technology with backside power delivery

TSMC announced its leading-edge 1.6nm-class process technology today, a new A16 manufacturing process that will be the company's first Angstrom-class production node and promises to outperform its predecessor, N2P, by a significant margin. The technology's most important innovation will be its backside power delivery network. Just like TSMC's 2nm-class nodes, the company's 1.6nm-class fabrication process will rely on gate-all-around nanosheet transistors, but unlike the current and next-generation nodes, this one uses backside power delivery dubbed Super Power Rail. The most important innovation of TSMC's A16 process, which was unveiled at the company's North American Technology Symposium 2024, is the introduction of the Super Power Rail, a sophisticated backside power delivery network. Backside power delivery will be implemented into many upcoming process technologies as it allows for an increase in transistor density and improved power delivery, which affects performance. There are several ways to implement a BSPDN. TSMC's Super Power Rail plugs the backside power delivery network to each transistor's source and drain using a special contact that also reduces resistance to get the maximum performance and power efficiency possible. The choice of backside power rail implementation is perhaps why TSMC decided not to add this feature to its N2P and N2X process technologies, as it would make using the production nodes considerably more expensive.