日期:2022/06/25 IAE
TSMC, Samsung, Intel, and the three semiconductor companies compete for the advanced process hegemony, and EUV mastery is the key to victory
台積電、三星、英特爾，半導體三雄先進製程爭霸戰，EUV掌握度成勝出關鍵
At present, there are only three semiconductor companies in the world capable of producing processes below 10 nanometers: TSMC, Samsung Electronics and Intel. These three semiconductor companies have more than 30 years of experience in semiconductor production and development of new processes, and are leaders in the industry.
In terms of turnover in 2021, Samsung Electronics' semiconductor turnover is US$78.8 billion, Intel's turnover is US$74.7 billion (excluding NAND turnover), and TSMC's turnover is US$56.82 billion, ranking among the top three in the world.
From the perspective of capital expenditure, it is estimated that the capital expenditure of these three companies in 2022 will be about 12 billion US dollars for the foundry part of Samsung Electronics, about 28 billion US dollars for Intel, and about 42 billion US dollars for TSMC. TSMC's capital expenditure leads Intel and Samsung Electronics, showing that TSMC is actively building 5nm and 3nm production capacity, and the progress is ahead.
Judging from the mass production progress of advanced processes, TSMC is currently in a leading position. TSMC's 7nm and 5nm series of advanced processes are not only the earliest mass production, but also have superior yield and performance, so orders continue to increase. TSMC 7nm , 5nm series production capacity, the world's first.
TSMC is scheduled to start mass production of the 3-nanometer process in the second half of this year. Currently, Apple and Intel have scheduled production capacity, and they will be the first customers of TSMC's 3-nanometer process. TSMC's 3nm process continues to use the "fin field effect transistor" (FinFET) structure instead of the "full surround gate" (GAA) structure.
From the 14/16 nm semiconductor process, the originally planar "Field Effect Transistor" (FET) structure is technically unusable. Dr. Hu Zhengming and his colleagues invented the FinFET structure, changing the original planar FET structure into a three-dimensional FinFET structure, allowing the semiconductor process to continue to shrink, from 14/16 nm, 10 nm, 7 nm, all the way down to 5 nm.
Entering 3nm, the FinFET structure faces many obstacles. Samsung Electronics "boldly" adopts the GAA structure, while TSMC continues to use the FinFET structure. However, TSMC has also innovated and launched FinFlex technology in the 3nm process, which further improves the performance, power efficiency and density of the 3nm process. FinFlex allows IC design engineers to have great flexibility when designing ICs. With the combination of different numbers of "fins", high performance, low power consumption, high density, etc., different blocks can be designed in the same IC .
Samsung Electronics announced that it will start mass production of the 3-nanometer process using the GAA structure in the first half of this year. Plus) 3nm process, so the actual mass production schedule of Samsung Electronics' 3nm should fall in 2023.
Samsung Electronics is trying to surpass TSMC in 3nm. Although it claims to be mass-produced in the first half of the year, Samsung Electronics does not seem to have placed orders from external customers. Customers may wait and see when Samsung Electronics' 3nm enters "real" mass production. Whether to place an order. Qualcomm, Supermicro, Huida, MediaTek, etc. have all scheduled to cast wafers on TSMC's 3nm process.
Intel's process technology is currently behind TSMC and Samsung Electronics. Currently, Intel 7 (formerly 10nm) has entered mass production, and the next-generation Intel 4 (formerly 7nm) is expected to be mass-produced in the second half of this year.
Intel 4 (equivalent to TSMC's 4nm) is Intel's first EUV (Extreme Ultraviolet) lithography process, and it is also Intel's efforts to catch up and join the first echelon of advanced processes after years of delays in advanced processes.
Following Intel 4, Intel announced that it will begin mass production of Intel 3 (equivalent to TSMC 3nm) in 2023. If it can be realized, it will only be slightly behind TSMC's 3nm mass production schedule.
In the first half of 2024, Intel will mass-produce Intel 20A (equivalent to TSMC 2nm), which has surpassed TSMC's progress (TSMC plans to mass-produce 2nm process in 2025). What's more, Intel is scheduled to mass-produce Intel 18A in the second half of 2024, and launch two generations of new processes in the same year. Intel is really "powerful".
From the second half of this year to the end of 2024, in just two and a half years, Intel will launch four new process technology nodes, Intel 4, Intel 3, Intel 20A, and Intel 18A. This is a difficult task, and it is very difficult to achieve. high.
Intel only began to use EUV in the mass production process in the second half of this year, and Intel's experience in using EUV may not be comparable to that of TSMC and Samsung Electronics. Intel's CEO has repeatedly emphasized that Intel will be the first to obtain "High Numerical Aperture" (High NA) EUV, so it can lead competitors in the development of advanced process nodes.
This is like getting the "Ei Tian Sword" and "Dragon Slayer Sword" and "ordering the world". However, if you don't have "proud martial arts", you cannot become "the first person in martial arts" by relying on "magic weapons".
"If you want to do good work, you must first sharpen your tools", lithography equipment is an important equipment for semiconductors, and the electronic circuits of chips must use lithography equipment. EUV lithography equipment is an indispensable equipment for entering the process node below 7nm. The important equipment for EUV trial production, the number of EUV equipment is related to the production capacity. The more EUV equipment, the greater the production capacity.
TSMC currently has the largest number of EUVs in the world, with an estimated 84 units by the end of this year. Samsung Electronics is catching up. Vice Chairman Li Zaiyong visited EUV supplier ASML for the second time, hoping to obtain more EUVs. It is estimated that there will be 51 EUVs by the end of this year, but some EUVs must be used by DRAM factories. .
Intel is a latecomer to EUV. Although it is catching up, there are only about 20 EUV units by the end of this year, so the advanced production capacity may not be enough for application.
ASML is the only supplier of EUV worldwide. ASML was founded in 1984 by a joint venture between "Philips" and "ASMI" in the Netherlands, so it has a "nepotism" with TSMC. "Philips" is the founding major shareholder of TSMC and a technology provider, so TSMC will "specially take care" of ASML when purchasing lithography exposure equipment.
Before 2004, ASML's market share in lithography exposure equipment fell behind Nikon and Canon. 2002 was a turning point for ASML. In this year, the semiconductor process progressed to 65 nanometers, and it encountered a bottleneck when developing downwards. The "Deep Ultraviolet Lighting Machine" (DUV) with a wavelength of 193 nm can no longer undertake the task of developing the process node. At that time, the mainstream solution was to develop a lithography machine with a wavelength of 157 nm. The industry invested 1 billion US dollars to develop this machine. equipment.
In 2002, Dr. Lin Benjian of TSMC proposed the concept of "immersion lithography" at the "International Microlithography Symposium". The lens is immersed in water, and the refraction of water can shorten the 193nm deep ultraviolet light to 134nm. At that time, only ASML was persuaded by Dr. Lin to jointly develop an immersion lithography machine with TSMC, and launched a prototype at the end of 2003.
ASML has taken the lead in immersion lithography equipment. Process nodes below 50 nm must use immersion lithography equipment. ASML has finally achieved the status of a leading supplier of "lithography equipment". The deep relationship between TSMC and ASML, and the historical origin, enable TSMC to obtain the full support of ASML.
In 2012, in order to develop EUV and 18-inch wafer lithography equipment, ASML invited semiconductor companies to invest to raise development funds. Intel, TSMC and Samsung Electronics decided to invest in ASML.
Intel invested 2.509 billion euros to obtain a 15% stake in ASML, and promised to invest a total of 276 million euros in the next five years to support ASML's R&D program.
TSMC invested 838 million euros to obtain a 5% stake in ASML, and promised to invest a total of 276 million euros in the next five years to support ASML's R&D plan.
Samsung Electronics invested 503 million euros to obtain a 3% stake in ASML, and promised to invest a total of 276 million euros in the next five years to support ASML's R&D plan.
With the support of these three semiconductor companies, ASML was able to develop EUV lithography equipment. However, ASML did not treat these three companies badly. When the stock price of ASML soared, the three major companies sold off their holdings in large numbers, and the investment was rewarded. At the same time, they also forged a deep friendship with ASML.
In addition to the historical friendship between TSMC and ASML, TSMC is also a partner of ASML to develop new equipment. From EUV machine prototypes, test machines, etc., TSMC needs to try it out and provide suggestions for improvement. Without TSMC's help, ASML cannot complete the development of EUV machines alone. TSMC is ASML's partner and customer. The deep friendship between the two is that TSMC can naturally get the courtesy of ASML's priority to supply EUV.
TSMC is expected to obtain ASML "high numerical aperture" EUV in 2024, which will be used to develop the relevant infrastructure required by customers and pave the way for entering the 2nm process.
慈善經濟主義（全球） -永續綠色地球:量子核融合 產學中心
IAE全球量子核融合 〔Quantum nuclear fusion〕產學中心
（↑詳細內容 敬請點入）
1.『全球核融合綠色永續基金』〔GGSF〕甄選ESG管理師 （↑詳細內容 敬請點入）
2.共融全球慈善經濟使命「全球綠色永續新能源基金」推動聯合國（U.N.）永續發展目標高階人才甄選 （↑詳細內容 敬請點入）
3.參與「量子核融合（Fusion）+數位國家寶藏幣（NATS）金融資產」模式共融聯合國（UN）ESG永續綠色地球目標！(僅20名種子導師名額）！ （↑詳細內容 敬請點入）
4.全球Top1核融合Fusion創新IP市場成果！ 申請加入『甄選』IAE全球核融合Fusion產學研聯盟（亞洲首次） （↑詳細內容 敬請點入）
5.亞洲獨一 『量子核融合Fusion（小太陽）』應用工程師（全球中高階儲備人才） 培訓養成班〔假日Free輔導〕 甄選20名線上報名開始！ （↑詳細內容 敬請點入）
Why The Sun Keeps Shining: Fusion and Quantum Tunnelling｜｜為什麼太陽一直閃耀：聚變和量子隧
你知道最冷的星星不比一杯咖啡暖和嗎？ 我們的太陽比這要熱得多，但它是如何持續燃燒數十億年的呢？ 在量子物理學的幫助下，了解它如何保持發光！
Did you know the coldest star is no warmer than a cup of coffee? Our Sun is far hotter than that, but how has it kept burning for billions of years? Learn how it keeps shining – with a little help from quantum physics!