Samsung Electronics Expands Next-Generation Semiconductor Manufacturing Cooperation With ASML
IT DAILY ·
✦ AI Summary
Samsung Electronics will join the Large Size Mask Consortium led by ASML.
Samsung Electronics announced on the 8th that it plans to jointly develop 12-inch photomasks.
The consultative body discusses ways to convert 6-inch masks to 12-inch masks and is responsible for joint research and standards development.
Samsung Electronics will join the Large Size Mask Consortium, led by ASML. Samsung Electronics announced on the 8th that it plans to jointly develop 12-inch photomasks. ASML is a Dutch semiconductor lithography equipment company.
The Large Size Mask Consortium is a consultative body that discusses ways to shift masks for semiconductor lithography equipment from 6 inches to 12 inches. The consortium is responsible for monitoring global technology trends in lithography equipment and photomasks.
The consortium's goal is to develop 12-inch photomasks. Its areas of cooperation include joint research and standards development. Samsung Electronics has decided to take part in research and standards work related to the development of 12-inch photomasks through this consultative body.
A photomask is a precision mask engraved with fine circuit patterns. It functions by transferring design patterns onto wafers with light in lithography equipment. The precision of a photomask is a factor that determines semiconductor performance and yield.
Masks used in existing semiconductor lithography processes are 6 inches. With the introduction of High NA EUV, a transition to 12-inch masks has been raised as a possibility. Switching to 12-inch masks could ease the constraints of split exposure and stitching, while improving fab productivity and lowering chip manufacturing costs.
At the design stage of advanced semiconductors, tens of billions of transistors are arranged. With advanced semiconductors, 12-inch masks can be used to take advantage of High NA EUV equipment. Using High NA EUV can improve the production economics of advanced semiconductors.
In this regard, Samsung Electronics and ASML will strengthen cooperation on introducing High NA EUV, the next-generation lithography equipment for manufacturing advanced DRAM, through 2028. Through this, Samsung Electronics plans to accelerate the development and adoption of technologies that improve the performance and efficiency needed to manufacture advanced AI semiconductors.
Vice Chairman and CEO Jun Young-hyun of Samsung Electronics said that the paradigm of the semiconductor industry is changing in the AI era and that the importance of technological innovation is growing across the entire value chain. He also expressed his intention to build a technology foundation by strengthening cooperation with ASML.
Christophe Fouquet, CEO of ASML, described Samsung Electronics as a long-term key innovation partner of ASML. He said the two companies have jointly advanced the foundational technologies of modern semiconductor manufacturing. He added that he looks forward to driving next-generation semiconductor manufacturing innovation with Samsung Electronics in the AI-driven era.
High NA EUV is a technology for forming ultrafine circuits of 2 nanometers (nm) or less on wafers.
This technology is used to implement ultrafine circuits.
Numerical Aperture (NA), included in the technology's name, refers to a lens's light-gathering ability.
Numerical Aperture (NA) is a concept related to aperture size.
Source: IT DAILY · Kim Ho-jun
Original: https://www.itdaily.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=241478
References
This article was produced with the help of an automated content generation algorithm.
Source: IT DAILY
View originalThis article was summarized and organized by BizCrush based on the original article from IT DAILY. For exact quotations and full details, please refer to the original article.