Semiconductors: what exactly is India going to manufacture?
Context:
India is just now realizing its potential in the field of semiconductors; having access to the underlying technology has long been a goal of our country. If this effort is successful, India will join a select group of countries with access to the technology and will create thousands of high-paying employment.
What is Semiconductor Chip?
- Transistors comprised of carefully chosen materials, often silicon, make up a semiconductor chip.
- Transistors modify information that is encoded as 0s and 1s to create new information.
- The source, the gate, and the drain (or sink) are the three components that make up a transistor.
- The voltage applied to the gate controls how much current flows between the source and drain.
- Each bit on the semiconductor chip represents a logical state (0 or 1) and is used to store information.
What are the Nodes in Semiconductors?
- The manufacturing process used to create transistors on a semiconductor chip is referred to as a “semiconductor node”.
- The gate length and the pitch—the separation between adjacent metal strips connected to the gate—were formerly used as the basis for node names.
- For instance, the metal pitch and gate length for the 500-nm node were both 500 nm.
- The naming practice based on gate length and pitch became less important as technology evolved and transistors shrunk.
- NodeNumber and Meaning:
- When it comes to actual physical dimensions, node names are no longer significant.
- The “nm” prefix in the node name may be used differently by different companies.
- The node number is mostly used in marketing to show that a certain node is an upgrade from its forerunner.
- For instance, the node numbers for Intel’s 10-nm node and Global Foundries’ 7-nm node do not adequately reflect the physical dimensions because both have equal gate lengths and metal pitches.
What do we know about The semiconductor industry in India?
- The prospects in the semiconductor sector are beginning to be recognized in India.
- When Foxconn Technology Group withdrew its backing from the joint venture with Vedanta, Ltd., the construction of a semiconductor manufacturing facility in Gujarat suffered a setback.
- Incentives have been implemented by the Indian government to support the semiconductor industry.
- Legacy Nodes
- Instead of the most cutting-edge nodes like 10 nm or 5 nm, India is currently concentrating on nodes at 28 nm or above.
- Numerous industries, including robotics, defence, aerospace, tools for industry automation, autos, the Internet of Things, and image sensors, continue to use legacy nodes in a variety of ways.
- Starting using legacy nodes can provide benefits, such as cost-effectiveness and long-term success planning.
What is the Potential Development for India’s Semiconductor Industry?
- Future growth prospects for India’s semiconductor industry are provided by the demand for semiconductor technologies in several sectors, such as electric vehicles and infotainment systems.
- While sophisticated nodes predominate in devices like smartphones and laptops, legacy nodes will still be necessary to meet the demands of particular applications.
