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

On November 6, Canon of Japan has been investing in nanoimprint (Nano-imprint Lithography,NIL), a new chip manufacturing technology, and plans to make progress in the field of lithography by setting the price of the new chip manufacturing equipment at a small fraction of Asmai's best lithography machine.

Nano-imprint technology is a low-cost substitute for extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUV). Fujio Mitarai, chief executive of Canon, said the company's latest nanoimprint technology would open the way for small chipmakers to produce advanced chips.

"the price of this product will be one digit lower than that of Asmai's EUV," said Fuji Mishi, 88. This is his third time as president of Canon, and the last time he withdrew from day-to-day operations was in 2016. Fuji Mitsuchi also said that the final pricing has not yet been decided.

Asma, headquartered in Feldhoven, the Netherlands, is the only supplier of extreme ultraviolet lithography machines. Extreme UV lithography is the most advanced chip manufacturing machine in the world, each worth hundreds of millions of dollars. This kind of equipment is the product of decades of research and investment, and it is very important for large-scale production of advanced chips with high speed and low energy consumption.

But only a few cash-rich companies can afford to buy extreme ultraviolet lithography machines. This brings hope to Canon's latest nano-imprinted chip manufacturing equipment.

Canon shares are up 27% since the start of the year, while rival Nikon is up 24%.

Canon has been working with Japanese printing conglomerate Da Nippon Printing Co., Ltd. (Dai Nippon Printing Co.) and memory chip maker Kioxia Holdings Corp. For nearly a decade on nanoimprinting technology. Unlike extreme ultraviolet lithography, which works through reflected light, the nanoimprint technology studied by Canon prints the circuit pattern directly on the wafer to create a chip that is said to be geometrically equivalent to the most advanced node, but at a much slower speed.

The new device is expected to make chipmakers less dependent on chip foundry, while also making it more likely that chip manufacturers such as TSMC and Samsung Electronics will mass produce chips. Canon says the machine requires only 1/10 of the power of similar EUV products.

"I don't think nanoimprinting will replace EUV, but I believe it will create new opportunities and demand," said Fuji Mitarai. "We have received a lot of inquiries from our customers."

Canon, which has been focused on making ordinary chips, began investing heavily in nano-imprinting technology in 2014, acquiring Molecular Imprints Inc., which focuses on nano-imprinting technology. Canon, one of TSMC's suppliers, is building its first new lithography plant in 20 years in Utomiya, north of Tokyo, which will start production in 2025.

Fuji Mitsuchi has been president of Canon for nearly 18 years and has been Canon's chief executive since 2006. Born in 1935, he was widely praised for rescuing the company from operational difficulties when he first took the helm of Canon in 1995.

Canon recently appointed a group of new directors who will join the board next year, including Kazuhiro Ogawa, 65, chief executive of Canon US, Hiroaki Takei, 59, president of the Industrial Group, and Hiroshi Asada, 61, senior chief executive. This marks the rise of a new group of executives.

Fuji Mitsuchi said: "it is my duty to find a successor." He declined to comment on details such as the timing of his departure, potential candidates and the company's aggressive search for a new chief executive.

"I hope it's a complete surprise," he said. "our staff will learn about it first, and then others will hear it through the press conference."

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