South Korea's Samsung has signed a contract with Dutch semiconductor equipment manufacturer ASML worth 1 trillion won (about 7.).$5.5 billion) to invest in the construction of a semiconductor chip research plant in South Korea, where the two companies will develop next-generation EUV semiconductor manufacturing technology. The agreement will advance EUV technology and enable Samsung to achieve a leading position in the 2nm process node.
Kyung Kye-Hyun, vice chairman and head of the Device Solutions Division at Samsung Electronics, emphasized that the company's latest agreement will help it acquire the next generation of High-NA (numerical aperture) EUV lithography scanner equipment.
"Samsung has secured a priority for high-NA device technology, and I believe we have created an opportunity where we can optimize the use of high-NA technology in the production of DRAM memory chips and logic chips in the long run," Kyung said.
The report highlighted that Samsung's agreement with ASML is that engineers from the two companies will work together to improve semiconductor production for EUV process technology at the upcoming chip research plant in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. In addition, Samsung's deal with ASML is not focused on bringing 2-nanometer chip manufacturing equipment to South Korea, but on building a partnership with the Dutch company so that it can make better use of the next generation of lithography equipment.
ASML will launch a device capable of manufacturing 2nm node chips in the coming months. Its latest High-NA EUV lithography machine will have an aperture from 033, increased to 055, which will enable chipmakers to fabricate 2nm node chips using ultra-fine patterning technology.
It is said that ASML plans to produce only 10 units next year, and Intel has booked 6 of them, plus the lithography equipment obtained by Samsung, it seems that there are not many opportunities left for TSMC at present, but ASML plans to increase the production capacity of this equipment to 20 units per year in the next few years.
In addition, Samsung plans to start production of 2nm node process chips by the end of 2025, after using the ASML High-NA EUV lithography machine. However, like any technology and plan, the rollout of these chips may be affected by market conditions and yields, so there may be delays.