ASML CEO Peter Wennink said that the semiconductor equipment maker will, as planned, be shipping the first pilot tool in its next product line this year, despite some supply chain issues which have caused delays.
The firms new High NA EUV machines, which cost over 300 million euros a piece, and are the size of a truck, will be required equipment for top chipmakers who wish to manufacture smaller, more powerful chips in the coming decade.
The largest technology firm in Europe, AMSL is the dominant force in the market for lithography equipment, which is a key element in the chipmaking process, which uses focused beams of light to create the circuitry of computer chips.
In an interview with Reuters, Wennink said, “A few suppliers had some difficulties in actually ramping up and also giving us the right level of technological quality, so that led to some delay.”
In the interview on the sidelines of an event in Eindhoven on Monday he added, “But in fact the first shipment is still this year.”
AMSL’s present leading edge product, regular EUV, or extreme ultraviolet lithography tools, which cost over $200 million each and are the size of a bus, are only used by TSMC, Intel, Samsung and memory chipmakers SK Hynix and Micron.
Currently the Dutch government will not issue export licenses to AMSL which would allow the company to export its EUV tools to Chinese chipmakers, due to political pressure from the United States.
Although the AMSL tool uses a series of mirrors, rather than lenses, the High NA, or numerical aperture tool, will work like a camera, gathering light from a wider angle, which will allow it to achieve as much as 70% more resolution.
Companies which will be using the new High NA EUV technology will need to experiment with the new machines prior to placing them into production roles, with makers of logic chips wanting to take possession of machines and begin testing sooner than makers of memory chips.
Wennink has also confirmed that ASML will see more sales in dollar terms in 2023 from its previous generation DUV machines than it will see from its EUV machines. The company is predicting sales will grow by about 30% this year, in large part due to demand for the older machines from Chinese chipmakers.
Wennink said that trend will reverse in 2024 as the new tools should see booming demand from new chip plants in Arizona and Taiwan, which will become ready to receive and utilize EUV tools, as the demand for high-end AI chips booms.
