Friday, August 16th 2024

Samsung to Install High-NA EUV Machines Ahead of TSMC in Q4 2024 or Q1 2025

Samsung Electronics is set to make a significant leap in semiconductor manufacturing technology with the introduction of its first High-NA 0.55 EUV lithography tool. The company plans to install the ASML Twinscan EXE:5000 system at its Hwaseong campus between Q4 2024 and Q1 2025, marking a crucial step in developing next-generation process technologies for logic and DRAM production. This move positions Samsung about a year behind Intel but ahead of rivals TSMC and SK Hynix in adopting High-NA EUV technology. The system is expected to be operational by mid-2025, primarily for research and development purposes. Samsung is not just focusing on the lithography equipment itself but is building a comprehensive ecosystem around High-NA EUV technology.

The company is collaborating with several key partners like Lasertec (developing inspection equipment for High-NA photomasks), JSR (working on advanced photoresists), Tokyo Electron (enhancing etching machines), and Synopsys (shifting to curvilinear patterns on photomasks for improved circuit precision). The High-NA EUV technology promises significant advancements in chip manufacturing. With an 8 nm resolution capability, it could make transistors about 1.7 times smaller and increase transistor density by nearly three times compared to current Low-NA EUV systems. However, the transition to High-NA EUV comes with challenges. The tools are more expensive, costing up to $380 million each, and have a smaller imaging field. Their larger size also requires chipmakers to reconsider fab layouts. Despite these hurdles, Samsung aims for commercial implementation of High-NA EUV by 2027.
Sources: Seoul Economic Daily, via Tom's Hardware
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9 Comments on Samsung to Install High-NA EUV Machines Ahead of TSMC in Q4 2024 or Q1 2025

#1
ARF
AMD must go to Samsung already! :kookoo: :banghead:
Posted on Reply
#2
Ferrum Master
ARFAMD must go to Samsung already! :kookoo: :banghead:
For the IO die? Sure.
Posted on Reply
#3
Assimilator
AleksandarKThis move positions Samsung about a year behind Intel but ahead of rivals TSMC and SK Hynix in adopting High-NA EUV technology.
Because high-NA has done sooo much for Intel... oh wait...
Posted on Reply
#4
AleksandarK
News Editor
AssimilatorBecause high-NA has done sooo much for Intel... oh wait...
High-NA solves a few problems of regular EUV lithography tools. ASML ships you a working machine, it is up to you to make it useful. And that depends on your node design and general design rules.
Posted on Reply
#5
ARF
Ferrum MasterFor the IO die? Sure.
Not only. For the Navi graphics line, too. Because it is a poor decision to offer a pathetic 6nm Navi 33 present in the low-end and abysmal Radeon RX 7600.

Posted on Reply
#7
Visible Noise
AssimilatorBecause high-NA has done sooo much for Intel... oh wait...
Which products are being produced using high-NA EUV lithography? Oh wait…
Posted on Reply
#8
Assimilator
Visible NoiseWhich products are being produced using high-NA EUV lithography? Oh wait…
None, which is entirely my point.
Posted on Reply
#9
Count von Schwalbe
TBF, Intel has had this for about 8 months, if the timeline in the article is to be taken at face value.

I doubt that is long enough to design a line of products for it - probably not even long enough to design the manufacturing node.
Posted on Reply
Oct 10th, 2024 07:56 EDT change timezone

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