ASML High-NA EUV Twinscan EXE Machines Cost $380 Million, 10-20 Units Already Booked

[AleksandarK]

ASML has revealed that its cutting-edge High-NA extreme ultraviolet (EUV) chipmaking tools, called High-NA Twinscan EXE, will cost around $380 million each—over twice as much as its existing Low-NA EUV lithography systems that cost about $183 million. The company has taken 10-20 initial orders from the likes of Intel and SK Hynix and plans to manufacture 20 High-NA systems annually by 2028 to meet demand. The High-NA EUV technology represents a major breakthrough, enabling an improved 8 nm imprint resolution compared to 13 nm with current Low-NA EUV tools. This allows chipmakers to produce transistors that are nearly 1.7 times smaller, translating to a threefold increase in transistor density on chips. Attaining this level of precision is critical for manufacturing sub-3 nm chips, an industry goal for 2025-2026. It also eliminates the need for complex double patterning techniques required presently.

However, superior performance comes at a cost - literally and figuratively. The hefty $380 million price tag for each High-NA system introduces financial challenges for chipmakers. Additionally, the larger High-NA tools require completely reconfiguring chip fabrication facilities. Their halved imaging field also necessitates rethinking chip designs. As a result, adoption timelines differ across companies - Intel intends to deploy High-NA EUV at an advanced 1.8 nm (18A) node, while TSMC is taking a more conservative approach, potentially implementing it only in 2030 and not rushing the use of these lithography machines, as the company's nodes are already developing well and on time. Interestingly, the installation process of ASML's High-NA Twinscan EXE 150,000-kilogram system required 250 crates, 250 engineers, and six months to complete. So, production is as equally complex as the installation and operation of this delicate machinery.



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[atomek]

TSMC have they own lithography machines?

 

[W1zzard]

TSMC have they own lithography machines?

They buy them from ASML, like everyone else

 

[lewis007]

Without China to buy this machine its DOA.

 

[Zaqq]

Without China to buy this machine its DOA.

Why even bother to buy the machines when you can buy people to "develop" their "own technology"... China is playing the long game.

 

[marios15]

Damn, we went from 193nm lasers to 13nm and now to 8nm

These are going to be some very clean cuts

Should we expect 7GHz?

 

[Dirt Chip]

Is this some kind of a record for a single civilian product?

 

[user556]

They buy them from ASML, like everyone else

There are others. Nikon and Canon both produced similar equipment pre-EUV. But, yeah, ASML is alone in the EUV realm because, according to Wikipedia, Nikon and Canon were both denied the licence to the basic research on EUV.

 

[AleksandarK]

There are others. Nikon and Canon both produced similar equipment pre-EUV. But, yeah, ASML is alone in the EUV realm because, according to Wikipedia, Nikon and Canon were both denied the licence to the basic research on EUV.

Canon Wants to Challenge ASML with a Cheaper 5 nm Nanoimprint Lithography Machine

Japanese tech giant Canon hopes to shake up the semiconductor manufacturing industry by shipping new low-cost nanoimprint lithography (NIL) machines as early as this year. The technology, which stamps chip designs onto silicon wafers rather than using more complex light-based etching like market...

www.techpowerup.com

Canon also wants a piece of the pie, but using a bit different approach. Hopefully someone picks up on it.

 

[semantics]

There are others. Nikon and Canon both produced similar equipment pre-EUV. But, yeah, ASML is alone in the EUV realm because, according to Wikipedia, Nikon and Canon were both denied the licence to the basic research on EUV.

Irrc
The US heavily invested into EUV and blocked Japanese companies out of all the government money and research. US was the world leader in lithography machines until Japanese lithography machines started winning outright. Japan leaned to proximity x-ray for the next big process. Japan later pivoted to EUV but it was too little too late. ASML benefited from this being allowed to participate in the EUV LLC and eventually buy SVG, buying their way into the US's research and dying lithography industry. ASML did pull off being able to completely commercialize it but they benefited from being able to dip into US and EU money. This is also why the US retains some control on ASML's EUV machines.

 

[user556]

I don't think I'd call it heavily invested when there is no US companies building such machines. And doesn't look like there has been for a long time - https://www.nytimes.com/1993/06/06/...on-a-chip-making-tool-but-does-it-matter.html

Huh, and looks like SVG was a late comer and maybe never really built much anyway - https://www.nytimes.com/1990/02/13/business/low-tech-company-in-high-tech-gamble.html

 

[AnotherReader]

I don't think I'd call it heavily invested when there is no US companies building such machines. And doesn't look like there has been for a long time - https://www.nytimes.com/1993/06/06/...on-a-chip-making-tool-but-does-it-matter.html

Huh, and looks like SVG was a late comer and maybe never really built much anyway - https://www.nytimes.com/1990/02/13/business/low-tech-company-in-high-tech-gamble.html

The foundational research for EUV was done in the USA and the USA blocked Nikon and Canon from joining that effort. For a long time, the Japanese were the leaders in lithography.

 

[SOAREVERSOR]

Without China to buy this machine its DOA.

This is horseshit. Japan, the EU, Taiwan, and the US can employ them. Most of these machines are made in small numbers in a set amount of countries. China doesn't factor into this.

 

[user556]

The foundational research for EUV was done in the USA and the USA blocked Nikon and Canon from joining that effort. For a long time, the Japanese were the leaders in lithography.

That doesn't make it "heavily invested" though.

EDIT: Hehe, reading that EE Times article suggests the agreed commitments weren't upheld in the end. AFAIK, the production of equipment and primary components are all EU based. Certainly the equipment hasn't been assembled in USA like promised.