Text/Ball Review/Zhang Ziyang Correction/Zhiqiu
In the field of chip manufacturing, lithography machine equipment is extremely important, responsible for the lithography task of the chip, unceremoniously, without the support of the lithography machine, even if it is as strong as TSMC, it cannot produce chips.
The Dutch ASML dominates the lithography machine market
As far as the current competitive landscape of the global lithography machine market is concerned, the high-end EUV lithography machine is fully monopolized by the Dutch ASML, and the market share accounts for 100%.
Why can ASML monopolize the lithography machine market? As we all know, the lithography machine is known as the "pearl in the crown of the industry", the equipment in the R & D and manufacturing process of precision optics, precision instruments, mechanical automation software and other world's top technologies and disciplines, only one enterprise is difficult to complete the research and development of advanced lithography machine.
The reason why asML in the Netherlands can develop the world's most advanced lithography machine, the main reason is that ASML in the process of developing lithography machine, by the world's top enterprises technical support, ASML lithography machine more than 90% of the parts are purchased from other companies, such as lithography machine lenses, provided by ZEISS technology; optical technology and ultra-precision machinery is supported by virtue companies.
A device costs 1.9 billion
It is precisely because ASML monopolizes the lithography machine market and holds the pricing power of the device. On December 12, fast technology news, the Netherlands ASML is studying the manufacture of a new generation of EUV lithography machine equipment, named it NA EUV lithography machine.
According to the author's understanding, as ANML's new generation of EUV lithography machine equipment will be increased to 0.55NA, which can achieve higher resolution pattern rendering.
It is worth mentioning that the upgrade of the EUV lithography machine will naturally increase in price. According to analyst Alan Priestley, the price of the 0.55NA lithography machine produced by ASML will rise to $300 million per unit, or about 1.9 billion yuan, which is more than twice the price of the former compared with the past 0.33NA lithography machine.
Judging from the mass production plan revealed by ASML, the new generation of NA EUV lithography machine will open early access in 2023, and it is expected to start mass production by 2025, it is not difficult to see that the mass production time of the new generation of EUV lithography machine is relatively slow.
3 chip giants rushed to buy
According to the past practice, asML every time it launches an advanced EUV lithography machine, it will be robbed by Intel, Samsung, and TSMC, even if the price of the new generation of 0.55NA EUV lithography machine unveiled by ASML is increased to 1.9 billion, but this does not affect their robbery.
Why?
First of all, it needs to be understood that what will the EUV lithography machine bring to the three major chip manufacturers? The answer is obvious, naturally, in terms of chip production capacity.
You know, in the field of chip manufacturing, as long as chip manufacturers have enough production capacity, they will inevitably be able to attract many customers to place orders. The reason why TSMC has been pressing Samsung is because the production capacity is enough to meet the high demand of any chip manufacturer.
Secondly, asML's new generation of EUV lithography machine is very obvious, and it has to attract the attention of the three major chip giants.
According to the author's understanding, the new generation of EUV lithography machine has a higher resolution, the device in the process of operation, can increase the density of the chip by 2.9 times, at the same time, the characteristics of the chip will also be reduced by 1.7 times.
Thanks to the advantages of this lithography machine equipment, the three major chip manufacturing giants can save the cost of chip manufacturing, improve the yield rate of chips and reduce the production cycle time in the process of producing chips.
From the above point of view, the new generation of EUV lithography machine for TSMC, Samsung and Intel, will be very tempting, once the device successful mass production, will inevitably cause robbery.
Write to the end
It is worth mentioning that Intel has previously said that the company is expected to become the first recipient of asML new devices, if so, the probability of TSMC and Samsung obtaining lithography machines will be greatly reduced.
However, it is difficult to say who is the final winner of the three major chips, because before ASML is mass-produced on new devices, Samsung and TSMC will inevitably react, and it is indeed difficult for Intel to easily succeed.