A first look at TSMC N2P
A look at TSMC N2P using publicly available Synopsys PDK information.
Synopsys has released a PDK for TSMC N2P. With so much of the discussion around next-generation processes coming from presentation slides, PDK information gives us a way to examine the underlying density figures.
PVT and threshold-voltage options
The PDK lists six options:
- Extreme Low VT
- Low VT
- Low VT Low Leakage
- Standard VT
- Ultra Low VT
- Ultra Low VT Low Leakage
Logic libraries
High Density (HD)
- Cell height: 130 nm
- Gate pitch: 48 nm
- Gate length: 3 nm
High Speed (HP)
- Cell height: 156 nm
- Gate pitch: 48 nm
- Gate length: 3 nm
Density calculation
Cell height and gate pitch can be used to estimate logic density:
| TSMC N2P | HD | HP |
|---|---|---|
| Gate length | 3 nm | 3 nm |
| Cell height | 130 nm | 156 nm |
| Gate pitch | 48 nm | 48 nm |
| Logic density | 236.17 MTr/mm² | 196.81 MTr/mm² |
Observation 1: The HD/HP density gap is narrowing
One change stands out: in the GAA generation, HD and HP use the same gate pitch.
| Process | HD : HP |
|---|---|
| TSMC N7 | 1.4 : 1 |
| TSMC N2 | 1.2 : 1 |
The logic-density ratio between HD and HP is getting smaller with GAA. The underlying change is that drive strength is adjusted by increasing GAAFET width, rather than by adding more fins.
Observation 2: Scaling relative to N3P
How does this compare with N3P? First, here is the full N3P library matrix:
| TSMC N3P | Unused | Mixed HD | Standard | Mixed HP | HP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FinFlex | 1-1 | 2-1 | 2-2 | 3-2 | 3-3 |
| Cell height | 117 nm | M143 nm | 169 nm | M195 nm | 227 nm |
| Gate pitch | 48 nm | 48 nm | 48/54 nm | 54 nm | 54 nm |
| Logic density (MTr/mm²) | 262.41 | 214.7 | 181.67 / 161.48 | 139.95 | 120.22 |
HD comparison
| Metric | TSMC N2P HD | TSMC N3P 2-1 | TSMC N3P Standard HD 2-2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cell height | 130 nm | M143 nm | 169 nm |
| Gate pitch | 48 nm | 48 nm | 48 nm |
| Logic density (MTr/mm²) | 236.17 | 214.7 | 181.67 |
Compared with N3P Mixed 2-1 HD, N2P HD offers only 10% higher density (236.17 / 214.7 ≈ 1.1).
However, N3 has FinFlex options and an unusable library option, H117P48. Setting FinFlex aside, the comparison with N3P Standard HD at 181.67 MTr/mm² gives N2P HD a 30% density increase, which is substantial.
Gate pitch remains at 48 nm, with no scaling.
HP comparison
| Metric | TSMC N2 HP | TSMC N3 Standard HP |
|---|---|---|
| Cell height | 156 nm | 169 nm |
| Gate pitch | 48 nm | 54 nm |
| Logic density (MTr/mm²) | 196.81 | 161.48 |
N2 HP offers 21.87% higher density than N3P Standard HP, driven mainly by the reduction in gate pitch from 54 nm to 48 nm.