ASML has announced that its newest High-NA extreme ultraviolet (EUV) chip fabrication tools, called High-NA Twinscan EXE, will cost about $380 million each — more than double what current Low-NA EUV lithography systems cost about $183 million.
The company has received 10-20 initial orders from companies such as Intel and SK Hynix, and plans to produce 20 High-NA systems annually by 2028 to meet demand. High-NA EUV technology should be a major breakthrough, as it allows for improved print resolution of up to 8 nm compared to 13 nm in current Low-NA EUV instruments, reports TechPowerUp. It will make it possible to produce transistors that are almost 1.7 times smaller, which means a threefold increase in the density of transistors on a microcircuit. Achieving this level of precision is essential for the production of microcircuits with process standards up to 3nm, which is the industry’s goal for 2025-2026. It also eliminates the need for the complex dual templating techniques currently in use.
However, higher performance comes at a price—literally and figuratively. The huge $380 million price tag for each High-NA system creates financial challenges for chip manufacturers. In addition, large High-NA tools require a complete reconfiguration of production facilities for chip fabrication. The halved image field also requires a rethinking of chip design. As a result, implementation timelines vary between companies—Intel intends to deploy High-NA EUV on an advanced 1.8nm (18A) node, while TSMC is taking a more conservative approach, potentially only planning to deploy in 2030 and taking its time to use these lithographic machines, as the company’s nodes are already developing well and on time.
Interestingly, the installation process for ASML’s 150,000 kg High-NA Twinscan EXE system required 250 boxes, 250 engineers and six months to complete. Therefore, the installation and operation of this delicate machinery will be as difficult as the production.
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