Shulou(Shulou.com)11/24 Report--

According to CTOnews.com news on September 16, TSMC will acquire ASML next-generation extreme Ultraviolet Weiying equipment (high-NA EUV) in 2024 to develop related infrastructure and architecture solutions for customers.

Zhang Xiaoqiang, vice president of business development for TSMC, has previously said that after acquiring the equipment, it will be mainly used for joint research with partners at the initial stage.

From the previously published information, the unit price of High-NA EUV lithography equipment is estimated to be $400 million (about 2.8 billion yuan), which is two or three times that of the existing EUV lithography equipment.

CTOnews.com has reported that Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong had previously held talks with ASML about the introduction of the Dutch semiconductor equipment maker's next generation extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) lithography equipment, and reached an agreement on the introduction of this year's EUV lithography equipment and the high numerical aperture (High-NA) EUV lithography device planned for next year.

Earlier this year, Intel also announced that it had signed a contract to buy five such devices (TWINSCAN NXE:3600D) to produce 1.8nm chips in 2025. TSMC also said at the US Silicon Valley Technology Symposium on June 16 that it would introduce High-NA EUV lithography equipment into its process for the first time in the world in 2024.

For now, advanced lithography is a key factor in measuring the upper limit of chip manufacturing, while this High-NA lithography is expected to reduce the size by 66 per cent. In the field of chip manufacturing, although the current 3nm and 5nm no longer represent the actual gate width, the smaller the better.

It is reported that this new EUV system can achieve 0.55 numerical aperture, compared with the previous EUV systems (TWINSCAN NXE:3400B and NXE:3400C) equipped with 0.33 numerical aperture lens, the accuracy will be improved, and higher resolution patterns can be achieved.

It is reported that the current cost of each ASML machine is as high as $160 million, and chipmakers plan to invest more than $100 billion in additional manufacturing plants in the next few years to meet further semiconductor demand.

Officials have revealed that the High-NA machines will be 30% larger than existing machines, and previous machines are so large that they even require three Boeing 747s to load them.

TSMC has previously announced that it aims to mass-produce its N2 process by 2025. Unlike 3nm process nodes, 2nm process nodes will use Gate-all-around FETs (GAAFET) transistors. TSMC says the 3nm process will improve performance by 10 to 15 per cent and reduce power consumption by 25 to 30 per cent. N2 process is expected to be ready for risk production by the end of 2024 and enter mass production by the end of 2025, with customers receiving the first batch of chips by 2026.

Expand reading: "each set is nearly 2 billion yuan, ASML next-generation EUV lithography machine will lead to mass production."

"ASML shares the latest development of High-NA EUV lithography machine: target to enter the factory in 2024-2025"

Samsung and ASML reach an agreement to purchase next-generation High-NA EUV lithography machines

"TSMC: 2024 will have advanced next-generation ASML High-NA EUV lithography machine"

"worth US $400 million each: the next generation High-NA lithography machine being developed by ASML may be unveiled in the first half of 2023."

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