ASML and Imec unveil pricy High NA EUV playground for chipmakers
ASML and Belgian R&D biz Imec have opened a lab giving chipmakers access to the latest High NA EUV lithography equipment and associated tools to accelerate development of their next-gen products.
The Dutch technology giant says that the opening of the joint Lithography Lab in Veldhoven, where the company is based, marks a milestone in prepping High NA EUV for adoption in mass manufacturing processes.
As part of the plan, the lab will give companies involved in semiconductor manufacturing access to a High NA EUV scanner (TWINSCAN EXE:5000) and the associated processing and metrology tools, ASML says. This will include logic and memory chipmakers, as well as advanced materials and equipment suppliers.
This isn't a philanthropic gesture, of course; it is aimed at companies likely to procure one of these costly (about €350 million or $373 million each) chipmaking machines, or those likely to be involved in services and support surrounding them.
"The ASML Imec High NA EUV Lithography Lab provides an opportunity for our EUV customers, partners, and suppliers to access the High NA EUV system for process development while waiting for their own system to be available at their factories," president and CEO Christophe Fouquet said in a statement.
