Samsung to Introduce High NA EUV Lithography Machine in Early 2025, Accelerating 1nm Chip Development

Samsung Electronics is reportedly preparing to bring in its first High NA EUV (Extreme Ultraviolet) lithography machine in early 2025, marking a major advancement for the Korean tech giant in cutting-edge semiconductor manufacturing. This groundbreaking technology, provided exclusively by Dutch firm ASML, is crucial for processes below 2nm. Industry observers in Korea anticipate that Samsung will expedite its efforts to commercialize 1nm chip technology.

Each High NA EUV lithography machine is priced at approximately $350 million, significantly higher than ASML’s standard EUV series, which costs between $180 million and $200 million. With a resolution of 8nm and a transistor density three times that of Low NA systems, High NA EUV machines offer tremendous value.

Samsung’s first High NA EUV device, ASML’s EXE:5000 model, is expected to be delivered in early 2025. Given the complex installation requirements of semiconductor equipment, often entailing lengthy testing phases, the EXE:5000 is projected to be operational by the second quarter of 2025.

High NA EUV technology surpasses existing EUV systems, enabling the creation of more precise circuit designs that are suitable for chips below the 5nm threshold, such as system semiconductors for CPUs and GPUs. While standard EUV supports nodes down to 5nm, High NA EUV can achieve sizes below 2nm, enhancing performance and reducing exposure passes, which lowers production costs. Recent research by Belgium’s IMEC in collaboration with ASML demonstrated that a single High NA EUV exposure can produce a complete logic and memory circuit.

This development marks Samsung’s first foray into High NA EUV technology, having previously conducted circuit processing research in collaboration with IMEC. Samsung aims to leverage its own equipment to accelerate advanced node development, targeting commercialization of the 1.4nm process by 2027, potentially paving the way for 1nm production.

Globally, competition is heating up among semiconductor giants like TSMC, Intel, and Samsung, as they race to acquire High NA EUV equipment for sub-2nm processes. Intel led the way by acquiring the first High NA EUV machine in December 2023, with TSMC following in the third quarter of 2024. Although Samsung’s order came later, stable production may prove crucial in establishing industry leadership.

Samsung plans to use the High NA EUV equipment it receives in early 2025 for research purposes, with intentions to introduce dedicated production equipment shortly afterward. During a third-quarter 2024 meeting with ASML, Samsung indicated it would reconsider the number of High NA EUV machines it had initially planned to procure, potentially reducing the initial order by two units. The company originally intended to bring in the EXE:5000 by the fourth quarter of 2024, with subsequent models EXE:5200, EXE:5400, and EXE:5600 expected to be introduced over the next decade.