Recently, South Korean media Sammobile reported that lithography giant ASML will launch chip manufacturing equipment for 2nm process nodes in the next few months, reducing the optical performance of numerical aperture (Na) from 033 to 055, and plans to mass produce 10 devices in 2024, Intel has purchased 6 of them, and is expected to sell for more than $300 million each.
If this news is true, the leading position of lithography giant ASML will be further consolidated.
Looking back on the lithography machine market, from the early years of the United States GCA and Perkin Elmer to the United States lithography machine companies have withdrawn from the historical stage, only the Netherlands ASML and Japan's Nikon and Canon remain. In addition, the market share concentration of lithography machines is very high, and ASML occupies more than 8% of the global market, which is the absolute leading position. The main competitors in the global lithography machine market: ASML, Nikon and Canon, these three companies account for 82%, Canon accounts for 10%, and Nikon accounts for 8%.
Global lithography machine TOP3 market share in 2022 Source: Zhongtai**.
From "nothing" to the undisputed industry leader 17 years later, ASML's story is legendary.
Article**:On the world's top wafers, Chuangxin Future, to provide you with high-quality semiconductor industry content, looking forward to your attention.
In 1961, the first contact lithography machine was introduced by GCA in the United States. After more than 20 years of development, in 1984, Nikon of Japan and GCA of the United States each accounted for 30% of the lithography machine market. At that time, ASML in the Netherlands had just been founded. In 2000, ASML launched a double-stage lithography machine, and in 2003, ASML launched an immersion lithography machine. In 2013, ASML launched the first EUV mass production product, further strengthening its monopoly position in the industry.
The historical evolution of lithography machines.
technical breakthrough
1.Immersion lithography.
Demystifying Lithography: How Complex Is the Journey of a Beam of Light?In the article, we mentioned that the development of shorter wavelengths is the most direct means to achieve advanced processes. But no one expected that the lithography light source would be stuck at the 193nm wavelength for more than 20 years.
At the end of the 90s, scientists and industry proposed various schemes beyond 193nm, including 157nm F2 laser, electron beam projection (EPL), ion projection (IPL), EUV (135nm) and X-rays. But almost all of these efforts failed.
They have lost the simplest engineering solution, submerging the space between the lens and the silicon wafer in a liquid that shrinks the actual wavelength of the laser because the refractive index of the liquid is greater than 1. At present, the refractive index of purified water used in the mainstream is 144, so the actual equivalent wavelength of 193 nm is 193 nm44 = 134 nm, resulting in higher resolution.
Schematic diagram of immersion lithography, source: eetop
Immersion lithography enables the lithography light source to successfully cross the 157nm mark and directly achieve a half-cycle of 65nm.
In 2002, TSMC's Dr. Benjian Lin proposed an immersion 193nm solution at a seminar, and then ASML developed a prototype within a year, which fully proved the engineering friendliness of the solution. So far, ASML has surpassed other manufacturers in one fell swoop, and the latecomer has taken the lead. The 157nm light source dry lithography machine promoted by Nikon and Canon, which are also lithography giants, has been gradually abandoned by the market, and the two companies have turned from prosperity to decline.
2.EUV lithography.
Since the 157 nm wavelength does not penetrate pure water, it cannot be combined with immersion technology. As a result, excimer laser light sources have only developed to ARFs. Through immersion lithography and dual lithography and other processes, **ARF lithography machine can achieve chip production up to 22nm process, but driven by Moore's Law, the semiconductor industry's demand for chip process has developed to 14nm, 10nm, and even 7nm, and ARF lithography machine can no longer meet this demand.
In order to provide shorter wavelength light sources, extreme ultraviolet light sources (EUVs) are used in the industry.
In 1997, Intel saw the great difficulty of challenging 193nm, and decided to gather human elites to "move mountains" together, and launched a cooperative organization such as EUV LLC in the form of a company, and the Dutch ASML was allowed to join after making a bunch of promises to contribute to the United States.
At present, the main method used to obtain EUV light sources is to irradiate carbon dioxide lasers on targets such as tin to excite 135 nm photons as a light source for lithography machines.
Simplified schematic diagram of laser-droplet interaction in a typical industrial EUV light source module.
EUV is a soft X-ray, and the scattering and absorption when penetrating the object is very strong, which makes the lithography machine need a very, very strong light source, which is extremely difficult. Even air can absorb EUV, so the inside of the machine has to be made into a vacuum. Many lenses used in conventional lithography are replaced with mirrors because they absorb X-rays.
Since the lithography accuracy is a few nanometers, the EUV requires extremely high light concentration, which is equivalent to taking a flashlight to illuminate the lunar spot no more than one coin. The reflective mirror is required to be 30cm long, with an undulation of less than 03nm, which is equivalent to Beijing to Shanghai to make a railroad track undulation no more than 1 mm.
Therefore, EUV is not only the research of top science, but also the study of top precision manufacturing.
Fortunately, ASML has never hesitated. In 2006 it launched a prototype, and in 2007 it built a 10,000-square-meter super cleanroom and is waiting to receive the first prototype for development in 2010: the NXE3100.
In 2013, ASML launched the first EUV mass production product, further strengthening its monopoly position in the industry. In 2015, a production-ready prototype was released. Although the price is as high as 1$200 million per unit, but still received orders like snowflakes. Waiting in line for delivery, it takes several years for ASML to start mass production and shipment of NXE:3400B, NXE:3400C and NXE:3400D, and the resolution, overlay accuracy, and production efficiency continue to improve.
ASML EUV Product Roadmap.
At present, only ASML can produce high-end EUVs in the world, and only ASML and Nikon shipments of immersion DUVs will be shipped, accounting for 95% of ASML shipments in 2022, and its share in ARF and KRF lithography machines will also be as high as 88% and 72%. Only on low-end i-line lithography machines, Canon shipments account for a relatively high proportion.
Article**:On the world's top wafers, Chuangxin Future, to provide you with high-quality semiconductor industry content, looking forward to your attention.
strength of unity
ASML's success is not only reflected in the research and development of lithography machines, but also in the integration of its product layout and industrial chain. Relying on its advantages in the lithography machine market, ASML has deeply bound upstream first-class companies through acquisitions.
The "for my use" model of using global "intelligence" sources has played a key role in ASML's success.
1.Since 2000, ASML has undergone seven major acquisitions.
ASML acquired SVG, an American lithography machine manufacturer, in 2001In 2007, it wholly acquired Brion Technologies and obtained computational lithography softwareIn 2012, it acquired Cymer, a U.S.-based manufacturer of EUV light sourcesIn 2016, it acquired HMI (Hanweike) in Taiwan, China, and absorbed its advanced electron beam wafer inspection capabilitiesIn 2017, ZEISS 249% of the shares;In 2019, it acquired Mapper, a Dutch electron beam lithography manufacturer, as a technical reserveIn 2020, it acquired Berl Iner Glas, which mainly supplies wafer tables and fixtures, mask chucks and mirrors.
The combination of advanced computational lithography software, high-precision inspection technology and lithography machine has pushed ASML's products to a new level, namely holistic lithography technology.
2.Encourage customers to participate in shares and build a community of interests.
In the later stage of EUV research and development, ASML introduced investment from major customers, and Intel, TSMC, and Samsung invested billions of euros in the development of EUV lithography machines. In 2012, Intel + TSMC + Samsung invested a total of 61US$300 million acquisition of a 23% stake in ASML to accelerate the development of EUVs and obtain the right of first refusal.
This business model not only secured huge R&D funds, but also paved the way for market sales, forcing its competitors to abandon the EUV project.
3.Pay attention to R&D investment and adopt an open and cooperative R&D model.
ASML itself focuses on the integration of lithography systems and the design of next-generation products. In 2022, ASML invested €3.3 billion in R&D, with a target of more than $4 billion by 2025. But ASML is not an "island" R&D, but works with the industry chain to share risks and benefits.
At the moment of the rapid development of informatization, chips have become the focus of society, and it also allows us to see the gap between China's semiconductor equipment, especially in the field of lithography machines. It may be hard to imagine that China not only developed a lithography machine on its own, but also shortened the gap with the United States to only seven years, and did so under the blockade and embargo imposed on us abroad.
In the third phase of the world lithography machine series, we will take you to review the ups and downs of domestic lithography machines, and look forward to your attention!
References: 1Sixty years of lithography technology, Chen Baoqin.
2.Lithography Giants: ASML's Rise to Rise, Renee Regimaker.
3.ASML official website.
Disclaimer: We respect originality and also focus on sharing;The copyright of the text belongs to the original author. **The purpose is to share more information, does not represent the position of this number, if there is any infringement of your rights and interests, please contact us, we will delete it as soon as possible, thank you!
Article**:On the world's top wafers, Chuangxin Future, to provide you with high-quality semiconductor industry content, looking forward to your attention.