TSMC has quietly rolled out a compact, low-power version of its 16nm FinFET fabrication process - 16nm FinFET Compact (16FFC). With the availability of three series of its 16nm FinFET technology, TSMC is looking to enhance its market share in the FinFET segment in 2016, according to industry sources.

TSMC announced its 16nm FinFET (16FF) process around the end of 2014, and introduced HiSilicon Technologies as its first 16FF client. In the first half of 2015, an enhanced version of TSMC's 16FF process - 16nm FinFet Plus (16FF+) - was launched for high-performance chip solutions.

TSMC with its 16FF+ process has reportedly obtained orders for Apple's A9 chips found in the latest iPhone devices. TSMC moved the process to volume production in July.

At TSMC's quarterly investors meeting in mid-July, company president and co-CEO Mark Liu stated "the ramping of our 16nm will be very steep, even steeper than our 20nm."

Earlier in 2015, TSMC disclosed plans to roll out another 16nm FinFET process developed specifically for mid-to-low-end mobile devices, wearables and IoT applications. The version, called 16FFC, has been introduced to its clients in the fourth quarter of 2015.

TSMC president and co-CEO CC Wei suggested previously that the 16FFC process will be ready for volume production in the second half of 2016. Wei also estimated that TSMC's 16nm FinFET technology will receive a total of about 50 product tape-outs covering different chip products. Total production capacity of TSMC's 16nm FinFET processes at the end of 2016 will triple that a year earlier, Wei noted.

TSMC chairman Morris Chang remarked in early 2015 that TSMC would gain a marjoity of market share in the FinFET segment in 2016 and continue to lead in the segment in 2017, 2018 and beyond.

As for 10nm FinFET, TSMC expects to move the node technology to risk production at the end of 2016, followed by mass production in the first quarter of 2017.

By: DocMemory
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