There is great news in the field of chip manufacturing: Rapidus has begun installing ASMLEUV lithography machines, becoming the first Japanese semiconductor company to receive EUV lithography equipment.
Rapidus installs first ASML EUV lithography machine
On December 18, Rapidus announced that its first ASML TWINSCAN NXE:3800E lithography machine has been delivered and installed at the IIM-1 plant in Chitose, a northern city in Hokkaido. This is Japan's first EUV (extreme ultraviolet) lithography system for mass production of cutting-edge semiconductors.
According to the data, the NXE:3800E is the latest model of the ASML EXE series 0.33 (Low) NA EUV lithography machine, which can meet the manufacturing requirements of Rapidus' first-generation mass production process 2nm. The lithography machine shares some components with the 0.55 (High) NA EXE platform, and its wafer throughput is 37.5% higher than that of the previous NXE:3600D.
At the same time, Rapidus will also introduce many semiconductor manufacturing equipment and transportation systems to achieve 2nm generation semiconductors, and the first to be introduced this time is EUV exposure equipment. The pilot line will start operation at IIM-1 in April 2025, when single-wafer processes will be introduced in all manufacturing equipment and a new semiconductor foundry service RUMS (Rapid Unified Manufacturing Service) will be built.
With the help of ASML, Japan's semiconductor industry is "burning its boats"
Lithography technology is the core of semiconductor manufacturing, and extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography is the most advanced lithography technology currently. It can achieve precise pattern transfer at a smaller scale and is the basic equipment for manufacturing the next generation of high-performance chips. ASML, the Dutch lithography giant, is the only company in the world that can provide EUV lithography. The introduction of EUV technology enables chip manufacturers to break through the physical limits of traditional deep ultraviolet (DUV) lithography machines, thereby continuing to promote the development of Moore's Law. Especially in the production of 5nm and below process nodes, the role of EUV lithography machines is crucial.
According to the cooperation agreement between the two parties, ASML will install an EUV lithography machine at the Rapidus plant in Japan and provide relevant technical support and training. Although ASML has always supplied its most advanced lithography equipment mainly to companies such as TSMC and Samsung, the introduction of the equipment to Japan this time demonstrates Japan's determination to achieve independence in semiconductor technology.
According to information, Rapidus is a joint venture established in 2022 by eight Japanese companies including Sony, Toyota, NTT, Mitsubishi, NEC, Kioxia and SoftBank, aiming to localize the design and manufacturing of advanced semiconductor processes. At the end of 2022, it signed a technology licensing agreement with IBM, aiming to start mass production of 2nm process in 2027.