Samsung Electronics is shoring up its ties with Zeiss, the only supplier of optical systems to EUV chipmaking machine manufacturer ASML, in a bid to strength its next-gen chip manufacturing capabilities. The company's executive vice chairman Lee Jae-yong met with Karl Lamprecht, CEO of Zeiss, during a visit to Zeiss headquarters in Oberkochen, Germany.
The two executives agreed to expand their partnership in EUV technology as well as next-gen semiconductor equipment research and development to enhance their competitiveness in foundry and memory chip industries.
Zeiss is also making investments in South Korea
Extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography is crucial for advanced semiconductor manufacturing. Zeiss holds more than 2,000 patents related to EUV technology, and with it being the sole supplier of optical products to ASML, the only company in the world that makes EUV machines, it's evident that Zeiss plays a major role in this industry that contract chip manufacturers like Samsung can't ignore.
Samsung hopes that it's deepening ties with Zeiss will enable it to further optimize its chip fabrication process while also help to improve yields. Samsung's aim is to lead the microfabrication process technology under 3nm as it plans to being mass production of sixth-gen 10-nano DRAM chips with EUV technology this year.
Samsung's roadmap also includes commercialization of 2nm chips by 2025 and of 1.4nm chips by 2027. It has already started mass producing 3nm chips since last year, making it the first foundry to make the smallest chip.
Zeiss also attaches importance to its ties with Samsung. It set up its first overseas R&D center in South Korea back in 2022 and is also planning to establish Asia's first R&D center for Zeiss process control solutions meant for advanced chips there. Zeiss has been making investments in South Korea owing to the growing demand for optics solutions from Korean chipmakers like Samsung.
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