➀ Researchers from Queen Mary University of London have developed new nanocomposite films from starch, offering a sustainable alternative to petroleum-based materials; ➁ The films are made from abundant natural polymer starch and highly conductive MXene, with potential applications in electronics and sensing; ➂ The nanocomposites can be tailored for various uses, including wearable technology and healthcare, and are biodegradable.
Recent #EUV news in the semiconductor industry
➀ TSMC is set to acquire its first high-NA EUV lithography machine by the end of the year; ➁ Intel currently has two of these $350 million machines; ➂ TSMC plans to use the new machines for its A10 process in 2030, two generations after its 2nm process.
➀ Lam Research reported better-than-expected revenue and EPS, slightly beating market estimates. ➁ The company's guidance for the next quarter is in line with expectations, showing a slow but steady recovery. ➂ Despite concerns about China's slowing tech spending, Lam Research's focus on tech investments is offsetting the decline.
➀ ASML, the Dutch chip equipment manufacturer, has announced a reduction in its 2025 order forecast, causing a significant drop in its share price. ➁ The CEO of ASML suggests that despite U.S. export restrictions, China may still be capable of producing 5nm and 3nm chips. ➂ The situation reflects the ongoing competition and technological advancements in the semiconductor industry.
➀ Analog Bits showcased its on-die sensing IP and power management solutions at TSMC OIP; ➁ The company highlighted its progress in 3nm and 2nm technology nodes; ➂ Collaborations with Arm were discussed, focusing on power management and clocking IPs.
➀ Korea’s September semiconductor exports reached a record high of $13.63 billion, up 36.3% year-on-year. Memory exports grew 60.7% year-on-year and 20% month-on-month to $8.72 billion. SoC exports rose 5.2% year-on-year to $4.37 billion. ➁ The overall Information and Communication Technology exports in September 2024 increased by 24% year-on-year to $22.36 billion. ➂ HBM had a significant impact on DRAM export values, and TrendForce forecasts that memory price growth will slow in Q4.
➀ Wolfspeed wins $750m Chips Act award; ➁ Vietnam semi plan; ➂ China to have 11% of global DRAM capacity this year; ➃ Kioxia’s route from $30bn to $5bn; ➄ Intel sets up second high-NA EUV machine
➀ ASML's order book and outlook have been revised downwards, primarily due to cuts in orders from Samsung Electronics and Intel.
➁ ASML and TSMC are expected to begin negotiating the 2025 equipment procurement prices, with ASML possibly adjusting prices in reverse.
➂ The negotiation results between the two companies will not only affect ASML's future performance growth but also affect the pricing of equipment manufacturers in Europe, America, and Japan.
➀ Arm is exploring the feasibility of running LLMs on mobile devices; ➁ Arm's optimization techniques for LLMs on mobile; ➂ The importance of practical use cases for LLMs in mobile devices
➀ Electron Beam Probing (EBP) has become a powerful method for security analyzing of sub-7nm ICs. ➁ It offers better spatial resolution than optical probing and is suitable for sub-7nm flip-chips and advanced 3D architectures. ➂ The research focuses on the importance of EBP in failure analysis and hardware assurance.
➀ The research investigates the effects of adding TiC nanoparticles to aluminum alloy 7075, aiming to enhance casting performance and improve fluidity and surface quality; ➁ TiC nanoparticles were introduced in two concentrations, and their impact on fluidity and microstructure was analyzed; ➂ The results showed a significant improvement in fluidity and surface quality, with finer grain sizes and smoother surfaces.
➀ ASML's new CEO, Christophe Fouquet, discussed High NA EUV and the rapid adoption of the technology; ➁ Doubling the size of photomasks from 6″x6″ to 6″x12″ was proposed by Intel and supported by ASML; ➂ Intel has installed two High NA systems, showing significant improvement over standard EUV.
➀ The increase in electricity consumption cannot be solely attributed to EUV; ➁ Electricity consumption will still increase without EUV; ➂ EUV has been demonized.
➀ Toppan Photomask, a semiconductor photomask supplier, will change its name to Tekscend Photomask on November 1. The new name reflects the company's commitment to technological development and growth.
➁ The company's new logo features a photomask over a semiconductor wafer, symbolizing its core business.
➂ All branches of the company, including the Shanghai-based Texmic Photomask Company, will adopt the new name. The headquarters are in Tokyo, with manufacturing facilities in various countries.
➀ Tesla's BEV market share dropped from 19% to 17% in the first five months of 2024; ➁ BYD is just one point behind Tesla at 16%; ➂ The BEV portfolio of legacy automakers like Volkswagen and Geely-Volvo stood at 7 and 8 percent, respectively.
➀ Malcolm Penn, CEO of Future Horizons, highlights the uncertainty in the chip industry, with a strong Q4 2023 followed by a minus 5.7% Q1 2024 and an unexpected 6.5% growth in Q2 2024. ➁ The industry faces challenges such as weak global economy, low unit demand, excess capacity, and declining ASPs. ➂ Future Horizons forecasts a median annual growth of 15% for 2024 with a bull forecast of 17% and a bear forecast of 13%.
➀ Samsung plans to install its first High-NA EUV lithography tool in late 2024 for R&D purposes. ➁ The tool, an ASML Twinscan EXE:5000, will be used to develop next-generation process technologies at Samsung's Hwaseong campus. ➂ Samsung aims to build a robust ecosystem around High-NA EUV technology, collaborating with several companies to prepare for commercial implementation by 2027.
➀ SK Hynix announces plans to develop a 4F2 DRAM similar to Samsung; ➁ The cost of EUV processes has been rapidly increasing since the commercialization of 1c DRAM; ➂ Seo Jae Wook, an SK Hynix researcher, highlighted this during an industry conference in Seoul.
➀ Imec and ASML have successfully patterned sub-20nm pitch metal layers using High NA EUV lithography in a single exposure. ➁ The results demonstrate the capability of High NA EUV to enable dimensional scaling of logic and memory technologies. ➂ These achievements were made possible through the joint ASML-imec lab, accelerating the introduction of High NA lithography into manufacturing.
➀ Intel is moving its second High NA EUV tool to its Oregon development fab to focus on the development of its 14A generation of chips. ➁ The $380 million machine is expected to enable 2D feature scaling with up to 2.9x more density compared to existing EUV tools. ➂ Intel plans to use both 0.33NA EUV and 0.55NA EUV alongside other lithography processes for IC development and manufacturing.