Recently, on March 5th, Intel announced a very special and meaningful unboxing**, documenting the arrival of the world's first lithography machine using high NA extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography technology and the beginning of installation at a facility near Hillsboro, Oregon, USA. The "most expensive" high-tech device in history is the flagship Twinscan EXE:5000 series from ASML, the world's leading semiconductor equipment manufacturer, and is the industry's first for its sheer scale and complexity of installation.
The superlithography machine was transported in an impressive volume and weight, using a total of 250 boxes for loading and weighing around 150 tons. The equipment was transported by air charter from the Dutch origin to Portland, Oregon, USA, and then moved by land to the final installation site in batches. The core components are currently being installed, and the entire assembly is expected to involve a team of more than 250 top-notch engineers from ASML and Intel, which will take about six months. Once installed, there will be a lengthy and delicate commissioning cycle to ensure that the equipment is in ideal working condition.
It is reported that the main task of this high NA EUV lithography machine is to serve as a research and development platform, and will carry out key technology verification and experiments on the 18A process node that Intel will soon promote. Nonetheless, the timeline for the device to be truly put into mass production applications points to Intel's planned 14A manufacturing node in the next few years, which is expected to be realized between 2025 and 2026. Compared to existing low-NA EUV lithography machines, this state-of-the-art device is capable of achieving 8nm resolution, significantly improving the level of fineness per shot, a qualitative leap from the current 13nm level, and nearly tripling the transistor density.
When it comes to the high cost of this ultra-high-end lithography machine, the preliminary ** given by the industry's authoritative ASML company is about 3$800 million, but that's only for the base configuration**, and the total price will climb further if you consider higher-level customization needs. Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger confirmed that the cost of the device they purchased was close to 400 million US dollars, which translates to about 2.9 billion yuan. Compared to low NA EUV lithography machines, about 1With a $8.3 billion market**, it's clear that the investment in this cutting-edge device demonstrates Intel's strong commitment to cutting-edge technology development.
It is worth noting that Intel is not the only chip giant betting on high NA EUV lithography technology. Samsung, TSMC and SK hynix, which are also at the top of the global semiconductor industry chain, have placed orders for this high-NA EUV lithography machine, and the first batch of orders has reached dozens of units. This means that in the future of semiconductor manufacturing, these industry leaders are working with ASML to push the boundaries of microelectronics technology towards smaller, faster, and more energy-efficient chip manufacturing processes.
In short, Intel's receipt and installation of the world's first high-NA EUV lithography machine marks a key milestone in the technological development of the semiconductor industry, indicating that a new round of technological innovation and industrial pattern reshaping has quietly kicked off on the track of nano-level process competition. This move not only demonstrates Intel's strategic vision for the future layout of advanced technology, but also profoundly affects the development trend of the global semiconductor manufacturing industry, and boosts the entire industry to a higher technical level and greater innovation space.