MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2006 11:51 a.m. EST
ASML Aiming At EUV Technology Solution For 2008 Launch
AMSTERDAM -- ASML Holding NV (ASML) said Monday it is working on a transition type lithography technology to bridge the gap between its current machines and the next generation of Extreme Ultraviolet, or EUV, lithography tools.
Speaking at a semiconductor conference in Amsterdam, Chief Executive Officer Eric Meurice said the new technology, called Double Patterning, could be on the market in 2008. "It can be an opportunity for our most aggressive customers," he added.
ASML's lithography equipment prints circuits on the surface of silicon wafers. Its customers include the world's largest chipmakers, including Intel Corp. (INTC), Samsung Corp. (000830.SE) and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.(TSM)
In the race to make chips smaller, more powerful and cheaper, chip makers and chipmachine manufacturers are constantly looking for ways to make finer circuits.
ASML's latest Immersion lithography tools use cutting-edge technology to insert a layer of liquid between the lens and the silicon wafer, giving the machine a better focus and allowing the semiconductor producers to make smaller chips.
ASML's Immersion machines, which cost up to EUR30 million each, enable production of chips with circuits with widths of 45 nanometers.
EUV lithography, known in the industry as the next generation of lithography technology, makes it possible to make chips with circuits of widths less than 32 nanometers - about the smallest considered possible in the near future.
However, EUV mass production lithography tools will not be on the market until 2009, Meurice said.
To bridge the gap between immersion lithography and EUV, Meurice said ASML can bring the Double Patterning solution on the market if its customers want the technology. He didn't give details about pricing of the Double Patterning equipment.
For years, chipmaking equipment firms such as ASML, Nikon Corp. (7731.TO) and Canon Inc. (7751.TO) from Japan have poured billions of dollars into the development of EUV lithography technologies.
Meurice added that ASML remains a firm believer in EUV technology. In the first half of 2006, the company expects to deliver its first two tools.
(Dow Jones)
Company Web site: asml.com |
