Samsung Electronics develops 8nm RF solution

Samsung Electronics has developed a next-generation radio frequency (RF) solution based on 8-nanometer (nm) process that could further improve its foundry technology for 5G chip solutions. The IT giant is planning to aggressively target the 5G chip market with its 8-nm RF foundry technology.

Samsung’s newest 8-nm RF process is capable of reducing RF chip area by 35 percent and improving power efficiency by 35 percent compared to the previous 14-nm process. The semiconductor industry predicts that RF chips produced using the 8-nm RF process will be applied to Samsung’s 5G flagship smartphones scheduled to be released in the second half of this year.

An RF chip is a wireless frequency transmission and reception chip that converts digital signals from the modem chip to analog signals, changing them to usable radio frequencies, and vice versa. It consists of a logic circuit for frequency band change and digital-to-analog signal conversion, and an analog circuit for frequency reception and amplification.

With the development of 8-nm RF solution, Samsung Electronics has once again proved its technological prowess in the global foundry market. It is particularly meaningful as it is a feat achieved amid fierce competition with Taiwan’s TSMC for the lead in ultra-microprocessing technologies. Samsung Electronics has maintained the market leadership by releasing more than 500 million mobile RF chips, mostly for premium smartphones since 2017.


Dong-Il Seo dong@donga.com