半导体行业观察·2025-10-13 01:36Core Insights - The article discusses the geopolitical landscape of semiconductor manufacturing, emphasizing the dominance of ASML's EUV lithography systems as the only means to access advanced nodes below 5nm, which has locked the innovation pace of major companies like Apple, TSMC, Samsung, and Intel [1] - The emergence of AI is shifting the demand for semiconductor manufacturing technologies, leading to a renewed interest in non-EUV technologies such as electron beam lithography (E-Beam Lithography) and others that were previously sidelined [1][14] Group 1: Non-EUV Technologies - Non-EUV technologies like E-Beam Lithography, Nanoimprint Lithography (NIL), and Maskless Lithography (ML2) have been considered alternatives but have struggled to enter mass production [1] - SecureFoundry's Hyper-Beam Array (HBA) lithography system utilizes 65,000 independently controlled electron beams, allowing AI chip designers to test multiple design variants simultaneously, significantly reducing production time and costs [5][7] - The HBA system is designed for flexible batch production, making it suitable for small-batch prototypes and advanced designs, and it operates effectively within the 22nm to 65nm process nodes [7] Group 2: Historical Context of E-Beam Technology - E-Beam technology has two main applications: mask writing and direct lithography, with the latter being less successful due to low throughput and high costs associated with batch production [8][9] - The multi-beam approach was explored by various companies, including TSMC, but faced challenges in commercialization due to technical difficulties and funding issues [9][10] - Mapper Lithography's multi-beam system was an early attempt to commercialize this technology but ultimately failed due to financial constraints, leading to its acquisition by ASML [10][11] Group 3: Current Developments and Future Prospects - The rise of AI and the need for flexible, rapid, and customizable lithography solutions have reignited interest in multi-beam electron beam technologies [14][15] - Multibeam has announced the industry's first multi-column electron beam lithography system (MEBL), claiming it offers over 100 times the throughput of traditional E-Beam systems, with configurations for 150mm, 200mm, and 300mm wafers [15][18] - The funding received by Multibeam will accelerate the development of next-generation MEBL platforms, catering to the semiconductor industry's demand for lower power and higher performance chips in the AI era [18][19]