Giant Leap for Chipmaking: $400M EUV Machine Sets Sail for Intel

At the onset of 2022, ASML heralded the advent of a new era in its longstanding collaboration with Intel, vowing to jointly spearhead the advancement of cutting-edge semiconductor photolithography technologies. Intel, in a monumental gesture, placed an order for the industry’s first TWINSCAN EXE:5200 system from ASML. This high-volume production system for extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUV), boasting a high numerical aperture (High-NA) and the capacity to produce over 200 wafers per hour, serves as a cornerstone in the duo’s enduring partnership for High-NA EUV technology development.

According to a report by TomsHardware, ASML has delivered to Intel the industry’s pioneering High-NA EUV photolithography machine. This week, the new equipment embarked on its journey from Veldhoven, the Netherlands, to Intel’s semiconductor technology research hub in Hillsboro, Oregon, USA, with installation slated for completion in the coming months. The sheer size of the High-NA EUV photolithography machine necessitates transportation in 13 shipping containers and 250 crates, with each machine’s cost estimated between 300 and 400 million US dollars.

Intel’s acquisition of the TWINSCAN EXE:5000 system from ASML in 2018, serving as an experimental apparatus, has been instrumental in garnering invaluable insights into the operation of High-NA EUV equipment. Intel’s 18A process, poised for mass production in 2025, will incorporate High-NA EUV lithography technology, potentially eclipsing competitors like TSMC and Samsung. The High-NA EUV lithography machine, offering a numerical aperture of 0.55, promises enhanced precision over its predecessors equipped with 0.33 numerical aperture lenses, facilitating higher-resolution patterning for diminutive transistor features.

The transition to this next-generation lithography equipment, markedly distinct from its predecessors, necessitates extensive infrastructural modifications. Intel’s proactive deployment could bestow a competitive edge, granting additional time for technical adjustments and infrastructural enhancements to optimally accommodate the High-NA EUV photolithography machine.