By Stephen Nellis
SAN JOSE, California (Reuters) – Intel on Monday stated that the primary two cutting-edge lithography machines from ASML Holding are “in manufacturing” at its factories, with early information indicating they’re extra dependable than earlier fashions.
At a convention in San Jose, California, Intel senior principal engineer Steve Carson stated Intel has produced 30,000 wafers, the big discs of silicon that may yield hundreds of computing chips, in a single quarter with ASML’s excessive numerical aperture (NA) lithography machines.
Intel final yr was the world’s first chipmaker to take supply of the machines, that are anticipated to provide smaller and quicker computing chips than earlier ASML machines. The transfer was a shift in technique for Intel, which lagged rivals in adopting the earlier technology of utmost ultraviolet (EUV) lithography machines.
It took Intel seven years to place these earlier machines into full manufacturing, which contributed to it shedding its result in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Intel struggled with the reliability of these earlier EUV fashions within the preliminary levels of manufacturing.
Nevertheless, Carson stated ASML’s new excessive NA machines are about twice as dependable as the sooner technology in preliminary testing.
“We’re getting wafers out at a constant fee, and that is an enormous boon to the platform,” Carson stated.
The brand new ASML machines, which print options onto chips utilizing beams of sunshine, may do the identical work as earlier machines utilizing fewer exposures, saving money and time.
Carson stated early outcomes at Intel’s factories confirmed that the excessive NA machines can do what took earlier machines three exposures and about 40 processing steps with only one publicity and a “single digit” variety of processing steps.
Intel has stated it plans to make use of the excessive NA machines to assist develop what it calls its 18A manufacturing know-how, which is scheduled for mass manufacturing with a brand new technology of PC chip later this yr.
It has stated it plans to place the excessive NA machines into full manufacturing with its subsequent technology of producing know-how known as 14A, however has not given a mass manufacturing date for that know-how.
(Reporting by Stephen Nellis in San Jose, California; Enhancing by Leslie Adler and Sam Holmes)
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