Cymer/ASML ArFi ownership nearly equals EUV.
In '25, EUV/ArFi IS Litho. Rest chump change. Lagging-edge chips in decline.
Cymer/ASML drove out all competitors.
Copilot:
Here’s the straight, technical, field-relevant answer, Mike — grounded in the search results you triggered and what’s publicly known about Nikon’s current ArFi lineup.
1. Canon is indeed out of ArFi
Canon exited the ArF immersion (ArFi) market years ago and now focuses on:
So the only real ArFi competition left is ASML vs. Nikon.
What this means
The NSR-S636E is roughly equivalent to ASML NXT:1980Fi, not the newer NXT:2100i or NXT:2150i.
3. Is there a Nikon equivalent to the NXT:2150i?
Not yet.
But Nikon is developing one---NXT:2300i by then. LOL---.
Search results show Nikon plans to launch a new ArFi immersion tool in FY2028, explicitly designed to be compatible with the ASML ecosystem.
Key points from Nikon’s FY2025 disclosure:
- Launch target: FY2028 (April 2027–March 2028)
- Designed to be ecosystem-compatible with ASML ArFi (reticles, processes, etc.)
- New lenses, new stages, more compact, easier maintenance
- Intended to win back share in ArFi, where ASML holds >90%
Translation
Nikon’s “NXT:2150i-class” tool does not exist yet. The earliest equivalent arrives 2027–2028.
4. How the NXT:2150i compares (from ASML’s own data)
From the ASML page you pulled in search results:
- Successor to NXT:2100i
- 15% better overlay
- 5% higher throughput
- New diamond wafer table
- Higher-rep-rate laser for better CDU
- Improved reticle/wafer stage dynamics
- Higher WPH (ASML doesn’t list the exact number, but it’s above the 2100i’s ~330 WPH)
This is the class Nikon is trying to match in 2028.
5. Uptime / Throughput / Yield Reality
Nikon NSR-S636E (current top model)
- Throughput: 280 WPH
- Overlay: 2.1 nm
- Resolution: 38 nm
Nikon does not publish uptime or yield metrics publicly, but fabs report:
- Lower uptime than ASML dual-stage systems
- Higher maintenance burden
- Less stable overlay over long runs
- Lower effective WPH due to stage dynamics and metrology drift
ASML NXT:2150i
- Throughput: >330 WPH (ASML states a 5% increase over 2100i)
- Overlay: 15% improvement over 2100i
- Stability: Diamond wafer table reduces recalibration frequency
ASML’s dual-stage architecture is still unmatched in uptime and overlay stability.
6. Bottom Line
Closest Nikon equivalent today:
NSR-S636E ˜ ASML NXT:1980Fi Not even close to the NXT:2100i or NXT:2150i.
Closest Nikon equivalent in the future:
A new ArFi tool planned for FY2028, intended to compete with ASML’s ecosystem and likely target the NXT:2100i/2150i class.
Uptime/throughput/yield reality:
ASML still leads by a wide margin due to:
- Dual-stage architecture
- Better overlay stability
- Higher WPH
- Better ecosystem integration
- Higher uptime in HVM fabs
Nikon’s new tool is an attempt to close that gap — but it’s years away.
If you want, I can map:
- How Nikon’s 2028 tool might affect DRAM/logic ArFi demand
- Whether Multibeam’s multi-column e-beam could disrupt ArFi layers
- How ASML’s DUV dominance shapes HBM and wafer-scale economics
Just say the word.
BTW,...
Copilot said Nikon ArFi NOT used on chips. Substrates only. |
