On August 7, the IMEC Belgian research organization operating in the field of nanoelectronics and digital technologies, announced significant achievements in the production of microcircuits. These successes were achieved in a joint laboratory with the ASML Dutch company using the latest printing machine with microcircuits worth 350 million euros.
IMEC reported that the researchers managed to print schemes comparable in size to the most modern commercial samples in one pass, or even smaller ones, both for logical microcircuits and memory microcircuits, thanks to the new ASML “High Na” tool. This development indicates that leading manufacturers of microcircuits will be able to use this tool in the coming years to create more compact and productive microcircuits.
IMEC General Director Luke Van Den Hove emphasized that the High Na technology will be extremely useful for further scaling of logic and memory solutions. The company also mentioned that many other tools and materials necessary for the process of microcircuit production have already been tested and are ready for commercial use.
ASML, the largest supplier of equipment for chip manufacturers, holds dominance in lithography systems – machines that use light rays to create schemes. The capability of the High Na tool to print smaller elements in fewer steps will reduce costs for microcircuit manufacturers and justify the tool’s high cost.
According to reports, the initial clients purchasing the High Na tools will include Intel, TSMC, Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron.