Japanese chipmaker Rapidus announced the delivery and installation of an ASML EUV lithography tool.
The TWINSCAN NXE:3800E will be housed at the company’s Innovative Integration for Manufacturing (IIM-1) foundry, which is currently under construction in Chitose, Hokkaido.
In a statement, state-funded Rapidus said the delivery of the system is a “significant milestone for Japan’s semiconductor industry, marking the first time that an EUV lithography tool will be used for mass production in the country.”
The chip maker said that in addition to the EUV lithography machinery, it would also install additional complementary advanced semiconductor manufacturing equipment at its IIM-1 foundry, as well as a fully automated material handling systems to optimize 2nm generation gate-all-around (GAA) semiconductor manufacturing.
Of ASML’s traditional EUV systems, only the TWINSCAN NXE:3800E supports the high-volume manufacturing of 2nm logic nodes.
ASML is the sole global supplier of extreme ultraviolet lithography photolithography machines that are needed to make the most advanced 3nm and 5nm chips. The company’s standard machines, which were first produced in 2013, have a 0.33NA (numerical aperture), while its High-NA machines have a 0.55NA.
Rapidus said a pilot line will be established at IIM-1 in April 2025. The company also plans to introduce a single-wafer process for all manufacturing equipment and proceed with the construction of a new semiconductor foundry service called Rapid and Unified Manufacturing Service (RUMS).