Samsung, ASML expand partnership to introduce next-gen lithography by 2028

Samsung Electronics and semiconductor equipment giant ASML announced Tuesday that they will expand their strategic partnership on High NA extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography, with Samsung planning to introduce the technology into DRAM mass production by 2028 for the first time in the industry. The two companies said they will work together to accelerate the development and deployment of technologies that support the increasing performance and efficiency requirements of advanced semiconductor manufacturing. Under their new agreement, Samsung said it plans to introduce ASML’s High NA EUV lithography into future DRAM by 2028. Semiconductors are made by projecting geometric circuit patterns onto a silicon wafer using light, in this case EUV. In EUV lithography, the circuit pattern is formed on a photomask, EUV light reflects off the mask and an optical system reduces the image and projects it onto the wafer. As semiconductor technology advances, circuit patterns need to become increasingly fine. One way to achieve this is by increasing the numerical aperture (NA) of the optical system, a