Intel Commences Production with ASML’s Advanced Lithography Systems
Intel Corporation has commenced the utilization of ASML Holding NV’s latest lithography apparatus for its processor manufacturing.
Today, the Dutch manufacturer of semiconductor fabrication equipment revealed this pivotal development alongside its quarterly earnings report, which has significantly surpassed market projections.
Lithography machines employ light to engrave transistor patterns onto silicon wafers. ASML stands as the preeminent supplier of such technology worldwide.
The company announced that Intel has adopted its state-of-the-art TwinScan EXE series lithography machines for chip production.
The efficacy of a lithography machine is largely determined by its numerical aperture (NA), a metric denoting the angles at which a device generates light beams.
A higher NA facilitates the production of smaller transistors, which, in turn, enables the fabrication of faster and more energy-efficient microprocessors.
ASML’s EXE series boasts a 51% greater NA than its predecessors, employing the innovative High NA EUV architecture to inscribe silicon patterns with an impressive resolution of 8 nanometers. Previously, semiconductor manufacturers were limited to creating patterns of 13 nanometers.
Two years ago, Intel integrated the EXE:5000 system within its fabrication plant in Hillsboro, Oregon, and subsequently installed a more advanced model, the EXE:5200B. The acceptance testing for the latter system was concluded in December.
Both the EXE:5000 and EXE:5200B generate laser light by vaporizing minuscule droplets of lead. However, the EXE:5200B’s efficiency is enhanced due to a suite of upgraded optical components, allowing it to handle a greater number of wafers per hour with superior etching precision.
Modern processors consist of numerous layers, each crafted with various lithography machines. ASML disclosed that Intel is leveraging the EXE series for certain layers in its cutting-edge Intel 18A manufacturing process.
Typically, semiconductor fabrication plants employ their most sophisticated lithography systems for the most intricate layers, utilizing less advanced machinery for others.
Intel’s EXE-optimized production line is responsible for the mass production of select models within its Intel Core Ultra Series 3 laptop processors.
These advanced chips feature a 12-core central processing unit accompanied by a 12-core graphics processing unit and an artificial intelligence accelerator.
“By qualifying the High NA EUV process option for specific Intel 18A product layers, our current arsenal of tools is enhancing customer throughput while we advance future capabilities aimed at achieving leading-edge performance, density, and manufacturing adaptability for upcoming nodes,” commented Naga Chandrasekaran, Intel’s executive vice president and general manager of Intel Foundry.
ASML’s announcement comes simultaneously with the release of its second-quarter financial results, showcasing sales of 9.3 billion euros for the period ending June 28, exceeding analyst expectations of 8.8 billion euros. The company’s net profit of 2.9 billion euros also surpassed consensus estimates.
Anticipating buoyant demand, ASML has raised its revenue guidance for the year to between 43 billion and 45 billion euros, marking a notable increase at the upper end of that range.
Moreover, plans are in place to augment manufacturing capacity by 30% across several production lines over the next two years.
Source link: Siliconangle.com.
