According to reports from Korean media The Elec, Samsung plans to outsource the production of photomasks for memory chip manufacturing. Previously, Samsung had been producing all the masks needed on its own to prevent technical ejaculation, but the company is evaluating potential suppliers who manufacture low-level masks (i-line and KrF).
These suppliers include Tekscend Photomask and PKL, the former is a subsidiary of Japan's Toppan Holdings and the latter is owned by American photomask company Photronics. According to reports, the evaluation is in progress and is expected to be completed in the third quarter.
Samsung decided to outsource this type of mask for many reasons. One is that the existing i-line and KrF equipment are old and the equipment has even stopped production, so it is difficult to obtain. Again, although worried about technical ejaculation, Samsung no longer has obvious technical advantages as before, so outsourcing low-level light shields will not bring too much technical risks. However, sources pointed out that from a cost perspective, Samsung's own production of these masks is still more cost-effective.
Categorized according to wavelength, i-line uses 365 nanometers (nm) wavelength, which is suitable for drawing simple circuit diagrams; KrF uses 248nm, which is suitable for medium resolution; ArF uses 193nm, which can be used for more advanced images than KrF; while EUV (extreme ultraviolet light) uses 13.5nm, which is the most advanced technology at present, and can draw the tiniest image.
Sources pointed out that through outsourcing, Samsung plans to convert resources originally used for i-line and KrF to invest in ArF and EUV. Since ArF and EUV masks will determine Samsung's technological competition, they naturally hope to focus on more advanced technology fields.
As chips evolve, the circuit diagram is getting smaller and smaller, and the number of masks required is also increasing. Taking logical chips as an example, from 10nm to 1.75nm, the number of masks required is expected to increase from 67 to 78; in the past, DRAM required about 30 to 40 masks, but now it exceeds 60. Multi-patterning technology also increases the use of masks.
The hood market in South Korea is about 70 billion Koreans, and the overall production and energy yield of domestic manufacturers exceeds 90%. Demand from Chinese factoryless semiconductor companies promotes this growth. If Samsung also starts outsourcing mask manufacturing, other wafer foundry manufacturers such as DB Hitek may face mask supply pressure.
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