TSMC, the largest independent contract manufacturer for semiconductor products headquartered in Hsinchu, Taiwan, dismissed several employees at the beginning of August after internal rules for the protection of confidential data were violated, according to the Japanese business newspaper 'Nikkei Asia'.
According to the company, the employees are suspected of having accessed sensitive information on the production of advanced N2a 2nm process chips. The company has not yet confirmed whether this involved the unauthorized disclosure of data on sensitive key technologies.
The process is considered to be unique worldwide.
In the 2 nm N2a process, TSMC uses nanosheets for gate-all-around field-effect transistors (Gaafets), which replace the previously used fin-shaped field-effect transistors (FinFETs). The process is the only one of its kind in the world.
