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Rapidus begins installation of Japan's first NXE:3800E EUV lithography machinery for semiconductor mass production

Daniel Nenni

Admin
Staff member
HOKKAIDO, Japan, Dec. 18, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Rapidus Corporation, a manufacturer of advanced logic semiconductors, today announced the delivery and installation of ASML's EUV lithography equipment at its Innovative Integration for Manufacturing (IIM-1) foundry, an advanced semiconductor development and manufacturing fab currently under construction in Chitose, Hokkaido. To commemorate the installation, a ceremony was held at Portom Hall in the New Chitose Airport.

This 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. In addition to the EUV lithography machinery, Rapidus will install additional complementary advanced semiconductor manufacturing equipment, as well as full automated material handling systems in its IIM-1 foundry to optimize 2nm generation gate-all-around (GAA) semiconductor manufacturing.

EUV lithography is one of the key technologies for realizing 2nm semiconductors. An advanced lithography process is critical for forming the 2nm generation GAA structure.

ArF (193nm) immersion exposure has been at the forefront of EUV technology. However, 2nm and future nodes require an even shorter wavelength (13.5nm). The newest generation of EUV lithography technology uses laser sources, optical systems and photomasks that are far more precise than those used previously. The EUV lithography equipment from ASML installed at the Rapidus IIM-1 foundry uses an advanced optical system with a reflective photomask and mirror lenses. It adopts a TWINSCAN platform that performs alignment and scanning on separate stages, realizing increased productivity while responding to shrinking transistor sizes.

A pilot line will begin at Rapidus' IIM-1 in April 2025. A single-wafer process will be introduced for all manufacturing equipment, where Rapidus will proceed with the construction of a new semiconductor foundry service called Rapid and Unified Manufacturing Service (RUMS).

About Rapidus Corporation
Rapidus Corporation aims to develop and manufacture the world's most advanced logic semiconductors. We will create new industries together with our customers through the development and provision of services to shorten cycle times in design, wafer processes, 3D packaging, and more. We will continue to challenge ourselves in order to contribute to the fulfillment, prosperity, and happiness of people's lives through the use of semiconductors.

About Rapidus Corporation
Headquarters:
4-1 Kojimachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-0032, Japan
Establishment:
August 10th, 2022
Executives:
Tetsuro Higashi, Chairman of the Board of Directors
Atsuyoshi Koike, President and Representative Director
]Business:

Research, development, design, manufacture, and sales of semiconductor devices, integrated circuits and other electronic components[/TD]
Capital, etc:
7,346 million yen (as of November 2022)
(includes the amount of capital reserve)

U.S. Media Contact:
Devan Gillick – Breakaway Communications for Rapidus
Email: rapidus@breakawaycom.com
Mobile: (530) 591-3194

SOURCE Rapidus Corporation
 
Interesting looking fab. I wonder if it really looks like that?

1734565217481.png
 
HOKKAIDO, Japan, Dec. 18, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Rapidus Corporation, a manufacturer of advanced logic semiconductors, today announced the delivery and installation of ASML's EUV lithography equipment at its Innovative Integration for Manufacturing (IIM-1) foundry, an advanced semiconductor development and manufacturing fab currently under construction in Chitose, Hokkaido. To commemorate the installation, a ceremony was held at Portom Hall in the New Chitose Airport.

This 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. In addition to the EUV lithography machinery, Rapidus will install additional complementary advanced semiconductor manufacturing equipment, as well as full automated material handling systems in its IIM-1 foundry to optimize 2nm generation gate-all-around (GAA) semiconductor manufacturing.

EUV lithography is one of the key technologies for realizing 2nm semiconductors. An advanced lithography process is critical for forming the 2nm generation GAA structure.

ArF (193nm) immersion exposure has been at the forefront of EUV technology. However, 2nm and future nodes require an even shorter wavelength (13.5nm). The newest generation of EUV lithography technology uses laser sources, optical systems and photomasks that are far more precise than those used previously. The EUV lithography equipment from ASML installed at the Rapidus IIM-1 foundry uses an advanced optical system with a reflective photomask and mirror lenses. It adopts a TWINSCAN platform that performs alignment and scanning on separate stages, realizing increased productivity while responding to shrinking transistor sizes.

A pilot line will begin at Rapidus' IIM-1 in April 2025. A single-wafer process will be introduced for all manufacturing equipment, where Rapidus will proceed with the construction of a new semiconductor foundry service called Rapid and Unified Manufacturing Service (RUMS).

About Rapidus Corporation
Rapidus Corporation aims to develop and manufacture the world's most advanced logic semiconductors. We will create new industries together with our customers through the development and provision of services to shorten cycle times in design, wafer processes, 3D packaging, and more. We will continue to challenge ourselves in order to contribute to the fulfillment, prosperity, and happiness of people's lives through the use of semiconductors.

About Rapidus Corporation
Headquarters:
4-1 Kojimachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-0032, Japan
Establishment:
August 10th, 2022
Executives:
Tetsuro Higashi, Chairman of the Board of Directors
Atsuyoshi Koike, President and Representative Director
]Business:

Research, development, design, manufacture, and sales of semiconductor devices, integrated circuits and other electronic components[/TD]
Capital, etc:
7,346 million yen (as of November 2022)
(includes the amount of capital reserve)

U.S. Media Contact:
Devan Gillick – Breakaway Communications for Rapidus
Email: rapidus@breakawaycom.com
Mobile: (530) 591-3194

SOURCE Rapidus Corporation

The paid-in capital is only $7,346 million Japanese yen, or US$47.485 million. It seems very light for such scale of project.
 
The paid-in capital is only $7,346 million Japanese yen, or US$47.485 million. It seems very light for such scale of project.
Those figures are from 2022. Recently, the Japanese government already decided to fund Rapidus with approximately 920 billion yen (around 6 billion USD, as reported in November).

Rapidus estimates that a total of 5 trillion yen (about 32 billion USD) will be needed to operate a 2nm high-volume manufacturing fab by 2027. This implies that the Japanese government will need to contribute an additional 26 billion USD. It's unlikely that other companies will heavily invest in Rapidus until they see some initial success.
 
When there's news out of Japan, it's generally not BS. We probably won't hear much more than this for years, but, I do think it's real.
 
Excellent thanks!!

Doesnt mention the Litho tool used to write the masks, I am assuming a commericially available one!

This next year gonna be very interesting.
 
Last month, I visited Hokkaido and look atView attachment 2573 the construction site of Rapidus form the airport building.
The first building was under construction just over the runway of New Chitose Airport、the entrance of the Hokkaido island.
It is very huge and will be a very beautiful building after the completion.View attachment 2573
Great pic... So many questions: the Fab is at the airport? the building is not done? where will the pilot line be running wafers in 4 months? 2nm EUV wafers pilot line in 4 month... correct?
 
The fab is by the airport. The construction will continue. The fab will be covered by soil and plated. it will be less discernible after the completion.
The pilot line will share the half of the building. They have started installing the equipment as well as the EUV machine.
 
press release said HVM target in 2027
press release said pilot line will be making wafers April 2025. they mentioned customer wafers on pilot line. HVM 2027.

While pilot line is not a big deal for established companies, it is a huge deal for brand new companies using a process that has only been run in Labs.
 
How many wafers per month is expected from this fab?

I definitely think the consortium approach to building a fab is important. A fully automated production line using robots and AI is interesting. I just do not see an end game here. Even if they do hit production in 2027 it will be a node behind with a tiny ecosystem so they will not compete globally. I have not seen published process numbers but the word at IEDM is that Rapidus/IBM 2nm, in order to yield, will more likely compete with TSMC N3 versus N2 in density.

It is too bad Intel could not have driven this deal versus IBM.
 
How many wafers per month is expected from this fab?

I definitely think the consortium approach to building a fab is important. A fully automated production line using robots and AI is interesting. I just do not see an end game here. Even if they do hit production in 2027 it will be a node behind with a tiny ecosystem so they will not compete globally. I have not seen published process numbers but the word at IEDM is that Rapidus/IBM 2nm, in order to yield, will more likely compete with TSMC N3 versus N2 in density.

It is too bad Intel could not have driven this deal versus IBM.
very interesting, can't find anything about Rapidus planned capacity.

Only found here "Koike mentioned that although he cannot disclose how many EUV lithography machines will be introduced as it would reveal their chip production capacity, he claimed that one or two EUV machines would not suffice to meet Rapidus' production targets."
https://www.digitimes.com/news/a20241219PD215/rapidus-euv-2nm-production-japan.html

My interpretation is that Rapidus just have "TWO" EUV in the plan by now.
 
very interesting, can't find anything about Rapidus planned capacity.

Only found here "Koike mentioned that although he cannot disclose how many EUV lithography machines will be introduced as it would reveal their chip production capacity, he claimed that one or two EUV machines would not suffice to meet Rapidus' production targets."
https://www.digitimes.com/news/a20241219PD215/rapidus-euv-2nm-production-japan.html

My interpretation is that Rapidus just have "TWO" EUV in the plan by now.

It's very strange that the capacity of a fab needs to be kept secret while the $32 billion required to complete the project is well publicized.
 
very interesting, can't find anything about Rapidus planned capacity.

Only found here "Koike mentioned that although he cannot disclose how many EUV lithography machines will be introduced as it would reveal their chip production capacity, he claimed that one or two EUV machines would not suffice to meet Rapidus' production targets."
https://www.digitimes.com/news/a20241219PD215/rapidus-euv-2nm-production-japan.html

My interpretation is that Rapidus just have "TWO" EUV in the plan by now.
Current capacity is zero. plan is to get to hundreds of wafers per month by june.
 
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