According to South Korean media reports, South Korean semiconductor giant SK Hynix plans to significantly introduce 20 extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography machines, doubling its existing EUV equipment count.
Currently, SK Hynix has about 20 EUV machines for research and production, and by 2027, after adding 20 more, its total EUV equipment will reach around 40 units.
Hefty Investment to Strengthen Technological Leadership
EUV lithography equipment is an essential core tool for producing ultra-fine semiconductor circuits, with each unit priced between $250 million and $450 million. Currently, only the Dutch company ASML can produce these cutting-edge machines.
In terms of unit price, SK Hynix’s investment scale is expected to be at least 6 trillion Korean won (approximately $5.5 billion). This large-scale investment aims to enhance its semiconductor manufacturing capabilities, including next-generation DRAM, and high bandwidth memory (HBM)).
Strategic Layout to Enhance Advanced Process Capacity
SK Hynix plans to distribute the newly introduced EUV equipment across its M15X wafer fab in Cheongju and the M16 wafer fab in Icheon. According to the plan, the equipment will first be installed in the M15X wafer fab, which is set to commence operations by the end of this year, and then be introduced to the M16 wafer fab according to the process migration roadmap.
Insiders revealed: “SK Hynix is working to accelerate the launch of its new EUV production line” and is “in close consultation with ASML to expedite the installation of EUV equipment”.
Technological Evolution from EUV to High-NA EUV
SK Hynix first introduced EUV technology in its fourth-generation 10nm-class (1a) DRAM in 2021 and has since continued to expand the application of EUV in advanced DRAM manufacturing.
Moreover, it has heavily invested in the next-generation High-NA EUV lithography machines. Earlier this month, the company introduced the first mass-production model of High-NA EUV lithography machine. This model, named TWINSCAN EXE:5200B, has been deployed at the M16 production base in Icheon, South Korea, with its numerical aperture increased from 0.33 to 0.55, enabling the production of circuit patterns with 1.7 times higher precision and increasing integration density by 2.9 times.
As of the end of last year, in the global ranking of EUV equipment installations, TSMC ranked first, followed by Samsung Electronics, Intel, SK Hynix, and Micron.. If SK Hynix adds 20 more EUV machines, its EUV equipment deployment will match or even surpass Intel, becoming the company with the third-largest EUV equipment inventory globally.
Disclaimer: The above content is compiled from the internet for communication and learning purposes only. If you have any questions or objections, please leave a message to contact us.
END
For more discussions, feel free to join the group, scan the QR code to add WeChat and note “Join Group”