"Next-Generation Semiconductors" is a book that reconstructs the lectures and discussions from the webinar "Next-Generation Semiconductor Technology and the Future," part of the Choi Jong-hyun Academy's Science Innovation Series 17, held by the Choi Jong-hyun Academy in April 2023.
This book is largely divided into two topics: an explanation of the development of semiconductor technology and future strategies for the Korean semiconductor industry.
From a technological perspective, it provides a comprehensive overview of semiconductor fundamentals and technologies that will emerge in the near future. From a future strategy perspective, it presents a comprehensive overview of the whirlwind of change that the global semiconductor industry will face and Korea's response strategies.

In early 2022, media reported that Hyundai Motor Company was discussing a project with Samsung Electronics to design a high-performance autonomous driving chip.
When I was studying at university, integrated circuit (IC) design was an important field only for semiconductor manufacturers, but these days, it is even entering the finished vehicle industry.
As semiconductor design capabilities increasingly directly impact product competitiveness, and companies that are leading the way in chip manufacturing are actually gaining an edge over their competitors, the trend toward vertical integration is likely to accelerate.
Going forward, chip design is likely to play a more significant role as a lever for technological innovation in a wider range of fields.
--- p.29

In advanced DRAM memory processes, a single completed semiconductor wafer contains more than 2,000 chips.
In order to properly connect the numerous transistors created in the previous process and quickly process complex calculations, a metal wiring layer must be created on the upper layer of the completed substrate through an electroplating process.
Afterwards, as several micro-patterns become entangled, the uneven surface is chemically and mechanically polished (CMP), and impurities mixed in through several processes are also removed.
--- p.67

The US excels in design and equipment, Korea and Taiwan excel in front-end processes, Taiwan and China excel in back-end processes, and Japan excels in advanced materials.
The United States is virtually leading the way in advanced semiconductor design.
However, Korea is leading in DRAM design.
And the design automation software and design asset core IP cores required for semiconductor design are mainly supplied by the US and UK.
--- p.87

Taiwan and Korea are the only countries that can produce semiconductors of 10 nanometers or less, which is considered advanced technology.
The United States cannot produce, and this is precisely what the United States fears most.
So, you'll want to bring your advanced semiconductor manufacturing capabilities, down to 10 nanometers or less, to North America.
This is also why the United States and China are competing fiercely.
--- p.91

Meanwhile, China, which accounts for 65% of the world's germanium ore production, could disrupt the semiconductor supply chain.
Russia and Canada dominate the process and supply chain for separating zirconium and hafnium, so we need to prepare for supply chain issues that arise from these countries.
Most countries depend on Japan for blank masks, quartz, and photoresists for extreme ultraviolet processes.
Therefore, if Japan enters the DRAM memory market in earnest, it could be used to disrupt the supply chain.
--- p.99

Faced with the crisis of the US's strict export restrictions on China and the disruption of China's supply chain, how should Korea prepare for the future? Among the questions we must consider and answer, the first one concerning China is as follows:
From a technological perspective, how far can China's advanced semiconductor capabilities develop? I believe they will be able to implement a 5nm process within three years.
So, what are the constraints on China's development of advanced semiconductors, and how will the Chinese government address them? And to what extent can China truly establish a domestically-focused supply chain?
--- p.100

Where will the semiconductor industry's key battlegrounds lie in the future? Let's examine which technologies are currently attracting attention or will be worthy of attention in the future.
Generative AI services like ChatGPT, which has been trending since the second half of 2023 and is based on large language models (LLMs), are specialized in processing massive amounts of data, interpreting and inferring multi-modal information, and predicting and generating information.
Such AI will be a major factor in rapidly increasing the demand for computational resources capable of quickly and accurately processing diverse and massive amounts of data.
--- p.113

Semiconductor technology advances through the accumulation of innovations in basic sciences such as physics and chemistry over several generations.
We will also need strategies to predict what knowledge will become important in the field of basic science in the future and how to accumulate that knowledge.
For example, research on non-electron signal transmission systems, including low-dimensional materials, topological insulators, and quasi-articles, which are actively being studied in the fields of condensed matter physics and solid-state physics, is expected to provide a driving force for future semiconductor innovation.
--- p.116

The reality that Moore's Law is reaching its limits is also a factor promoting semiconductor diversification.
In the past, chip performance could be improved by reducing transistor size and increasing integration, regardless of the type of semiconductor.
But now it has become very difficult to make components that have become so small even smaller.
This is a situation where we have no choice but to adopt a strategy of optimizing the architecture rather than the component level.
In the future, a diverse lineup of AI semiconductors will emerge as architectures are optimized to suit the usage environment.

--- p.123