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Tag: EUV

  • Intel expands production of photomasks in California: EUV and High-NA EUV in the focal point

    Featured image Intel expands production of photomasks in California EUV and HighNA EUV in the focal point

    Intel is powering up its future of chipmaking by significantly expanding its mask production capabilities, cementing Santa Clara’s status as a powerhouse in semiconductor manufacturing. The company recently initiated construction on a major expansion of its Bowers Campus, designed to dramatically increase the production of photomasks—the crucial templates required for etching and manufacturing advanced microchips within the United States.

    This strategic move is more than just adding square footage; it represents a deep commitment to reinforcing Intel’s position as a key producer of these essential reticles. The new facility will house advanced manufacturing equipment, ensuring that the company can meet the intense demand for high-precision masks necessary for next-generation technologies.

    The expanded operations are geared toward handling highly demanding processes, specifically enabling the creation of 6-inch by 6-inch photomasks for both DUV and EUV layers. This capacity extends across a wide spectrum of semiconductor nodes, ranging from mature designs down to extremely advanced 1.4nm-class technologies.

    The primary focus of this expansion is supporting Intel’s leading-edge process technologies, including the development of the 18A-P and 14A nodes, as well as the critical steps toward the decade-defining 10A and 7A processes. These advanced manufacturing methods require increasingly intricate photomasks featuring extremely dense patterns and sophisticated curvilinear optical proximity correction.

    Having a world-class mask writing shop is non-negotiable in the semiconductor industry, where every revision directly impacts production schedules. Producing these masks in-house offers a crucial advantage, especially when dealing with EUV layers, where tools can damage masks over time. By bringing mask production in-house, Intel ensures rapid turnaround and superior quality for these sensitive components.

    Adding to this internal strength is Intel’s unique ability to manage the entire process chain. The company is the only semiconductor producer to operate its own tools for photomask writing through its IMS Nanofabrication subsidiary. This unique infrastructure utilizes multi-beam mask writers (MBMWs), which project hundreds of independently programmable electron beams simultaneously, achieving massive throughput with nanometer-scale accuracy.

    The Bowers Campus in Santa Clara has served as the core infrastructure for Intel’s mask production since 1986. Now, by expanding this site, Intel is not only boosting its internal capacity but is actively reinforcing the commitment to advancing U.S. semiconductor manufacturing leadership and supporting the global ecosystem of cutting-edge chip fabrication.

    Intel

    Credit: Tom’s Hardware

  • SK hynix files to raise up to $29 billion in historic Nasdaq listing — all proceeds going to advanced AI memory fabs and EUV tool orders

    SK hynix Bets Trillions on Future: Fueling the AI Chip Revolution

    In a move that signals massive confidence in the semiconductor future, SK hynix has launched an ambitious plan to secure the necessary capital for its next wave of expansion. The company filed a securities registration statement with regulators in the United States and South Korea, seeking to raise up to 45.45 trillion won, equivalent to approximately $29.43 billion, through an American depositary receipt listing on the Nasdaq Global Select Market.

    This substantial offering is not just about capital; it represents a deep commitment to scaling up production capabilities. The funds are explicitly earmarked for critical investments in manufacturing facilities and cutting-edge equipment necessary to support the booming demand for advanced chips.

    The roadmap focuses on two colossal projects: establishing the first fabrication plant in the Yongin semiconductor cluster and building an advanced packaging plant in Cheongju. These initiatives are designed to solidify SK hynix’s position at the very heart of the high-performance memory market.

    The Yongin facility, designated Y1, commands a commitment of 31 trillion won ($21.5 billion) for its initial phase, slated for completion around February 2027. This expansion will be complemented by installing state-of-the-art equipment in the second quarter of that year.

    Simultaneously, the Cheongju P&T7 advanced packaging plant, a site dedicated to assembling and testing High Bandwidth Memory (HBM), is set to break ground and complete by the end of 2027. These facilities require advanced technologies, including EUV lithography, which SK hynix has secured through a record order of nearly $8 billion from ASML to cover the needed scanners.

    This strategic push targets the surging demand for HBM, where SK hynix currently dominates with approximately 57% of the market. The ambition extends beyond current capacity, as the company pledged to double its wafer capacity within five years—a goal that acknowledges the unprecedented velocity of technological change.

    While these massive investments underscore an exciting trajectory for the company, industry analysts note that the extreme demand driven by Artificial Intelligence currently keeps supply tight. Experts suggest this supply constraint is expected to persist until around 2030, reflecting the immense global appetite for cutting-edge memory solutions.

    The shift in focus reflects the evolving landscape of memory technology itself. As the industry pivots toward HBM, which demands significantly more silicon per gigabyte than standard DDR5, SK hynix is positioning itself not just as a memory producer but as a critical technological leader defining the next generation of computing.

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    Credit: Tom’s Hardware