Samsung Electronics is officially launching cooperation with ASML, the Netherlands-based company known as the world's sole EUV (extreme ultraviolet) lithography equipment manufacturer and referred to as a 'super underdog' in the semiconductor industry, to develop next-generation DRAM.
On the 8th, Samsung Electronics announced that it will join the 'Large Mask Consortium' led by ASML to jointly develop next-generation 12-inch (300mm) photomasks.
This consortium is a collaborative body established to transition from the currently used 6-inch (150mm) photomasks for semiconductor lithography equipment to 12-inch masks, conducting joint research and standard development together. While global foundry leader TSMC of Taiwan and U.S.-based Intel have also formed similar consortia, Samsung Electronics stands out as the only global company capable of both memory semiconductor production at its Yangsan facility and foundry operations.
Photomasks are precision 'masks' (stencils) intricately engraved with microcircuit patterns, playing a core role in imprinting 'designed patterns' onto wafers (thin discs used to make semiconductor chips) via light within lithography equipment. The challenge of transitioning from the 6th-inch masks used for decades to 12-inch masks carries implications far beyond imagination.
Using existing 6-inch masks requires an additional process of engraving circuits in sections and then connecting them (stitching), whereas 12-inch masks can largely eliminate this issue, thereby boosting productivity and improving yield rates. It is essentially the key to next-generation semiconductor production.
Furthermore, Samsung Electronics will apply ASML's next-generation lithography equipment, High NA (High Numerical Aperture) EUV, to its Yangsan Line in 2028 for memory manufacturing for the first time globally. This is expected to extend DRAM miniaturization roadmaps by enabling more precise circuit patterns than current EUV technology while simultaneously achieving process simplification and productivity enhancement.
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