Samsung Prepares to Introduce First High NA EUV Lithography Machine in Early 2025
According to recent reports from South Korean media, Samsung Electronics is preparing to introduce its first High NA EUV (Extreme Ultraviolet) lithography machine in early 2025, potentially marking a significant advancement for the company in advanced semiconductor manufacturing.
According to recent reports from South Korean media, Samsung Electronics is preparing to introduce its first High NA EUV (Extreme Ultraviolet) lithography machine in early 2025, potentially marking a significant advancement for the company in advanced semiconductor manufacturing.
The High NA EUV lithography machines, exclusively provided by ASML, are critical for manufacturing chips at process nodes below 2nm. Samsung previously set a goal of achieving 1.4nm process commercialization by 2027, and industry insiders indicate that the company is accelerating its development efforts towards 1nm chip commercialization.
Each High NA EUV lithography machine costs approximately $350 million (around RMB 2.5 billion), significantly higher than the $180-200 million price range for ASML's standard EUV machines. The High NA system offers an 8nm resolution and a transistor density three times greater than that of the Low NA system. Specifically, High NA EUV technology surpasses the existing EUV system by creating finer circuit designs, making it suitable for chips operating below the 5nm node, such as CPUs and GPUs.
While the standard EUV is effective for nodes of 5nm and below, High NA EUV can further achieve circuit sizes below 2nm, improving performance while reducing exposure count and production costs. According to the latest research by IMEC (Belgian microelectronics research center) in collaboration with ASML, a single High NA EUV exposure can produce complete logic and memory circuits.
Samsung's first High NA EUV machine, the ASML EXE:5000 model, is expected to be delivered in early 2025. Due to the complexity of semiconductor equipment installation, which typically involves extensive testing phases, the EXE:5000 is anticipated to be operational by the second quarter of 2025.
Currently, there are only three semiconductor foundries worldwide competing at sub-3nm nodes: TSMC, Intel, and Samsung. Competition among them is intensifying, with all racing to secure High NA EUV equipment for processes below 2nm. Intel obtained the device first in December 2023, with TSMC following in the third quarter of 2024.
