AMSTERDAM, Dec 3 (Reuters) - Semiconductor industry bellwether ASML said on Monday a fire at one of its suppliers, electronic components maker Prodrive, would lead to some product delivery delays in early 2019.
The Dutch company, a key supplier to the world's largest computer chip makers, said in a statement it did not expect any change in 2018 deliveries, and it would take several weeks to assess the overall impact to its business.
[...]
ASML makes lithography systems, machines which can cost up to 100 million euros each and are used by Samsung, Intel, TSMC and others to help map out the circuitry of semiconductors.
ASML is the only supplier of tech required for the next generation of microchips (see: 7 nm).
Related Stories
ASML to Ship 30 EUV Scanners in 2019: Faster EUV Tools Coming
ASML said last week that it planned to ship 30 extreme ultraviolet scanners in 2019, up significantly from 2018. The plan is not surprising, as demand for EUV lithography tools is rising and semiconductors manufacturers are building new fabs. In addition, ASML indicated plans to introduce a new EUV scanner that will offer a higher production throughput, the NXE: 3400C.
Last year ASML shipped (only) 18 Twinscan NXE: 3400B EUV scanners. This was slightly below its expectations, to supply 20 machines. In total, as of July 2018, there were 31 EUV scanners installed at various fabs across the world, including several machines in various semiconductor research organizations, including imec. If everything goes as planned, ASML will ship more extreme ultraviolet scanners in 2019 than it did in in years before that.
[...] Samsung Foundry has already started to use ASML's EUV equipment for production of commercial chips using its 7LPP process technology at its Fab S3.
[...] TSMC is set to start using its Twinscan NXE scanners for commercial wafers in the second half of this year to produce chips using its N7+ manufacturing technology. Initially EUV scanners will be used for non-critical layers, but their use will be expanded at the 5 nm node in 2020 – 2021.
[...] Demand for ASML's Twinscan NXE tools will be further boosted by demand from Intel and SK Hynix.
Previously: ASML Says Fire at Supplier Prodrive Will Lead to Delays Early Next Year
Related: TSMC Details Scaling/Performance Gains Expected From "5nm CLN5" Process
(Score: 0, Offtopic) by MichaelDavidCrawford on Tuesday December 11 2018, @11:11AM
Please permit me to whore the link to my tribute to my father [warplife.com].
Sometime soon I'll be adding the eulogy I gave at his funeral. No one in attendance had the first clue what I was saying as I was screaming the whole time, however my Aunt Peggy asked me for a PDF that she could send to our relatives. But I'm no longer able to find my copy so I just now asked her to send it me.
Yes I Have No Bananas. [gofundme.com]
(Score: 2) by inertnet on Tuesday December 11 2018, @12:47PM (2 children)
Video (not mine):
Prodrive fire [youtube.com]
Prodrive fire [youtube.com]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday December 11 2018, @02:58PM (1 child)
Thanks, any info on what room was at the center?
(Score: 2) by inertnet on Tuesday December 11 2018, @09:36PM
I have no idea. I do know that they have asked their customers not to cancel any orders, because they're determined to get up and running as fast as possible. ASML is helping them with that.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Tuesday December 11 2018, @12:59PM (1 child)
Hope it doesn't delay TSMC. They ought to have the equipment by now?
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 12 2018, @07:27AM
All of the big players are limited by the throughput of these scanners and need more. Now, GF is no longer purchasing EUV so that may alleviate some demand (although that probably has been accounted for already).
The main customers are Intel, TSMC, Samsung. Maybe some destined for China (SMIC?), but China orders are always tentative thanks to the administration's ever changing trade restrictions. Who gets orders pushed out could define this process node, particularly if someone will depend on this technology for the next node (Intel's 7nm for example).