Researchers at Japan’s largest particle physics laboratory propose replacing ASML’s ultraviolet light source with a linear accelerator
If we stuck to cutting-edge semiconductor manufacturing, ASML would have no competition. This Dutch company is currently the only manufacturer of photolithography equipment that has in its portfolio the extreme ultraviolet (UVE) machines needed for manufacturing 7nm or smaller integrated circuits In an effective way. Canon and Nikon, its main competitors, abandoned the race to develop UV equipment because of the huge financial investment they had to make in research.
Oddly enough, Canon is the only company that can compete with ASML in the medium term, but it still has everything to prove. Your best asset, however, is your nanolithography (NIL) equipment. According to Canon, this machine allows the manufacture of chips up to 2 nanometers, and is ten times cheaper than a modern UV machine. The price difference is even greater if we compare its cost to that of ASML’s high-aperture UV and lithography equipment: €14 million compared to at least €350 million.
Japan is flirting with particle accelerators to make chips
Canon’s NIL lithography equipment has not yet been able to convince major semiconductor manufacturers, such as TSMC, Intel or Samsung, that it represents a real alternative to ASML EUV machines. However, this is not the only advantage of Japan regaining its former leadership in the photolithography equipment industry. A group of scientists from the Tsukuba High Energy Physics Research Organization is working with accelerators, which is the most important particle physics laboratory in Japan, on a revolutionary idea.
The ultraviolet light source is responsible for transmitting the geometric pattern described by the mask so that it can be transferred with great precision to the surface of the silicon wafer.
One of the most important components of UVE lithography equipment is the ultraviolet light source. It has been manufactured by the American company Cymer, a subsidiary of ASML, since 2013, which is responsible for transferring the geometric pattern described by the mask so that it can Transmitted with great accuracy On the surface of the silicon wafer. This light belongs to the most active part of the ultraviolet region of the electromagnetic spectrum. In fact, its wavelength spans the range from 10 to 100 nanometers (nm).
The approach of the Japanese researchers that I mentioned a few lines above is completely different. What they propose is to replace the ultraviolet light source used by ASML with a free electron laser, or FEL as its name in English (Free electron laser) such as those used in particle accelerators. In fact, in their tests they use an FEL laser generated by a linear accelerator to recover the energy. In theory, the radiation generated by the FEL laser makes it possible to fabricate integrated circuits with precision similar to that of an ultraviolet light source.
It sounds good at first glance, but it seems reasonable to accept that the FEL laser associated with a particle accelerator is not exactly cheap. The reason the Japanese scientists consider their solution better than the one used by ASML is that the single energy recovery linear accelerator is able to feed at the same time Various lithography machines. This simply means that these physicists are convinced that their strategy allows them to obtain the radiation they need to manufacture integrated circuits in a more efficient and profitable way from a purely economic point of view.
These Japanese physicists claim that their solutions are cheaper than ASML’s
There is no doubt that this proposal is very interesting from a technological point of view, but it raises very serious doubts. In 2021, these same physicists estimate that the energy recovery accelerator cost about $260 million at the time, while the UV lithography equipment was closer to $200 million. Also, the accelerator is just a light source.
It is necessary to add to its cost the cost of the rest of the components necessary to manufacture semiconductors, such as optical elements or robotic devices, for example. However, these Japanese physicists confirm this Your solution is cheaper than ASML solutions. Be that as it may, there is another parameter that is not worth overlooking: particle accelerators are enormous. They are unlikely to be able to make it small enough to fit into a traditional chip manufacturing plant. We will see how this technology develops, but there is no doubt that it is worth pursuing.
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More information | IEEE Spectrum
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