In November and December last year, Sony bought 35 patents from Intel related to the development of technology for manufacturing transistors surrounded by gates, or GAA (gate-all-around). Business Korea.  

The GAA concept is viewed by semiconductor manufacturers as a next-generation transistor structure that opens the door to further IC development. Each semiconductor chip contains a huge number of transistors, and the importance of the gate as a current regulator increases as the size of the transistor decreases.

At the moment, Samsung Electronics has the most advanced experience in the development of GAA transistors. It is followed by TSMC and Intel. The purchase of patents from Intel allowed Sony to rise higher in the list of manufacturers associated with the development of GAA transistors.

According to industry sources, the Japanese company intends to use these patents in the development of its future products. Given Sony’s current line of business, it is likely planning to use them in the production of new image sensors.

“These patents are unlikely to be used in the company’s current products, but they could be useful in the development of future micromachining technologies. It looks like Sony has decided to acquire patents to make its future products more competitive. “, – said one of the sources of the Korean edition.