It took the semiconductor business over a decade to prep every part wanted for manufacturing of chips utilizing excessive ultraviolet (EUV) lithography. It seems to be like it’s going to take lots much less to achieve the subsequent stage — EUV with Excessive-NA.
Larger Decision Wanted
These days probably the most superior chips are made on 5/4-nm-class course of utilizing EUV lithography ASML’s Twinscan NXE:3400C (and related) techniques that characteristic a 0.33 numerical aperture (NA) optics, which supplies a 13 nm decision. This decision is nice sufficient for a single-pattern strategy at 7 nm/6 nm nodes with 36 nm ~ 38 nm pitches and at 5nm with 30 nm ~ 32 nm pitches. However as pitches get beneath 30 nm (at past 5 nm nodes) the 13 nm decision may name for twin lithographic publicity that’s going for use for years to come back.
For post-3nm nodes, ASML and its companions are engaged on a brand-new EUV software — the Twinscan EXE:5000-series — that includes a 0.55 NA (Excessive-NA) lens able to an 8nm decision, which is projected to keep away from multipatterning at 3 nm and past. The brand new Excessive-NA scanners are nonetheless in growth, they’re anticipated to be extraordinarily complicated, very massive, and costly — every of them will value over $400 million. Excessive-NA would require not solely new optics, however a brand new gentle supply too, and even new fab buildings to accomodate the bigger machines, which would require main investments.
However in a bid to maintain scaling efficiency, energy, space, and prices (PPAc) of semiconductors, main makers of logic chips and reminiscence gadgets are keen to undertake new applied sciences, and Excessive-NA EUV scanners are crucially essential for submit 3-nm nodes. In consequence, demand for Excessive-NA instruments is, effectively, fairly excessive.
10 to twenty Excessive-NA Methods to Be Delivered
A number of weeks in the past, ASML disclosed that it had acquired a number of orders in Q1 2022 for its Excessive-NA Twinscan EXE:5200 techniques (EUV 0.55 NA) from each logic and DRAM clients. Final week it clarified that it had 5 orders for pilot Excessive-NA scanners as a consequence of be delivered in 2024 and ‘over 5’ orders for subsequent fashions that includes greater productiveness that shall be delivered ranging from 2025, stories Reuters.
Apparently, again in 2020 ~ 2021, ASML stated that it had has acquired Excessive-NA commitments from three clients, for a complete of as much as 12 techniques. Protecting in thoughts that logic makers are often the primary to undertake vanguard instruments, it’s protected to guess that Intel, Samsung Foundry, and TSMC dedicated in 2020 ~ 2021 to get pre-production Excessive-NA scanners. Furthermore, ASML has already began constructing the primary Excessive-NA system, which shall be accomplished in 2023 and shall be utilized by Imec and ASML buyers for analysis and growth functions.
“On Excessive-NA EUV, we’re making good progress and have presently began the mixing of the primary Excessive-NA system in our new cleanroom in Veldhoven,” stated Peter Wennink, chief govt of ASML. “We acquired a number of orders for our EXE:5200 system in Q1. We additionally acquired further EXE:5200 orders this month, April. With these bookings, we now have Excessive-NA orders from three Logic and two Reminiscence clients. The EXE:5200 is ASML’s subsequent mannequin Excessive-NA system and can present the subsequent step for lithography efficiency and productiveness.”
ASML’s Twinscan EXE:5200 is significantly extra complicated than common Twinscan NXE:3400C machines, so it takes longer time to construct these instruments. The corporate hopes that will probably be in a position to ship as many as 20 Excessive-NA techniques in mid-term future, which most likely signifies that its clients should compete for these machines.
“We’re additionally discussing with our provide chain companions to safe a capability of round 20 EUV 0.55NA techniques within the medium time period,” stated Wennink.
Intel First to Undertake Pre-Manufacturing Instruments
To date, the one course of expertise confirmed to make use of ASML’s Excessive-NA instruments is Intel’s 18A node and that one was as soon as scheduled to enter high-volume manufacturing in 2025, across the time when ASML begins to ship its manufacturing Excessive-NA EUV techniques. However just lately Intel pulled-in the beginning of18A manufacturing to the second half of 2024 and indicated that it might use ASML’s Twinscan NXE:3600D or NXE:3800E for its 18A manufacturing, presumably by way of multi-patterning.
Whereas Intel’s 18A expertise would drastically profit from Excessive-NA EUV instruments, it seems to be like Intel doesn’t essentially want Twinscan EXE:5200 machines for this node. Utilization of multi-patterning for business chips means an extended product cycle, decrease productiveness, greater dangers, and doubtlessly decrease yields (although the latter shouldn’t be forged in stone). But, it seems to be like Intel desires its 18A node to reach as quickly as attainable, maybe as a result of it considers it a serious software that may enable it to recapture course of expertise management from TSMC. Consequently, Intel’s up to date plans at the moment are to section in Excessive-NA tooling throughout 18A’s lifecycle if the instruments are accomplished on time.
In fact, it stays to be seen whether or not utilization of 0.33 NA EUV scanners for 18A will provide sufficient productiveness for Intel and clients of Intel Foundry Companies. However, at the very least in 2024, Intel shouldn’t be going to have any alternative however to make use of machines that it has.
Different main makers of semiconductors — TSMC, Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron — may also inevitably undertake Excessive-NA EUV for high-volume manufacturing of chips. The one query is when precisely that is when precisely that is set to occur.
