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Are Korean EUV Patents a Threat to ASML and TSMC?

Daniel Nenni

Admin
Staff member
Are Korean EUV Patents a Threat to ASML and TSMC? I should hope not but I will leave this to the EUV experts here on SemiWiki:

EUV Lithography Technology.jpg


Korean companies have made big progress in extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography technology.

The number of EUV lithography-related patent applications filed with the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) peaked at 88 in 2014 and reached 55 in 2018 and 50 in 2019, according to a KIPO report on patent applications in the last 10 years (2011-2020).

In particular, Korean companies have been rapidly narrowing its gap in EUV lithography technology with foreign companies. In 2019, the number of patent applications filed by Koreans stood at 40, exceeding 10 by foreigners. It was the first time that Korean-submitted patent applications surpassed those by foreigners. Korean-submitted applications more than double those of foreigners in 2020 as well.

EUV exposure technology is a complex of advanced technologies such as multi-layer mirrors, multi-layer masks, pellicles, light sources, and registries. In the past decade, global companies including Samsung Electronics conducted intense research and development to secure a technological lead. Recently, foundry companies began to use 5-nm EUV lithography to produce application processors (APs) for smartphones.

By company, six major global companies accounted for 59 percent of the total applications, 18 percent for Carl Zeiss (Germany), 15 percent for Samsung Electronics (Korea), 11 percent for ASML (the Netherlands), 8 percent for S&S Tech (Korea), 6 percent for TSMC (Taiwan), and 1 percent for SK Hynix (Korea).

By detailed technological items, applications of patents on process technology accounted for 32 percent, those on exposure device technology 31 percent, those on mask technology 28 percent mask and others 9 percent. In the field of process technology, 39 percent belonged to Samsung Electronics and 15 percent TSMC, which means that the two companies accounted for 54 percent. In the field of masks, S&S Tech took 28 percent, Hoya (Japan) 15 percent, Hanyang University (Korea) 10 percent and Asahi Glass (Japan) 10 percent and Samsung Electronics 9 percent.

 
It looks like these numbers refer to patent cases filed in Korea, so foreign companies would be filing mainly to prevent Samsung and SK Hynix from operating on their own turf. The numbers may be lower than how many patents are being filed in the US or China, for example.
 
This is an interesting TSMC EUV patent, would it give them any advantage?

At CSTIC 2020, it was mentioned that they would need RETs (Resolution Enhancement Techniques) for the Via layers. But the attached still needs a second exposure since it has an intrinsic intensity imbalance.
 

Attachments

  • US9618837B2 TSMC EUV altPSM.pdf
    204.6 KB · Views: 195
I need to get to work but


So patents are infringed or used without permission.

Companies are investing resources in lithography and we'll see where it leads.
 

"if GreyB is right, both Huawei and Samsung would have had to leapfrog other companies in the patents league table during the transition from 4G to 5G. That's improbable, says Windsor, because 5G relies on a lot of the same "core" IP as 4G, including the OFDM (orthogonal frequency division multiplexing) coding system."

"In the 4G patent count, Huawei and Samsung, in particular, have a much smaller share, raising the question of how they came from so far behind in a similar standard to lead 5G. One answer could be that they have developed IP that looks more like seats and drinks trolleys rather than engines and consequently their contribution is less valuable than it appears."

" For evidence of that, take note of recent litigation between Apple and Qualcomm, when Apple was forced to give way. "The fact that it felt it had to use Qualcomm is a strong indication that when it comes to working product, Qualcomm (and I suspect Nokia and Ericsson) has a much stronger position in 5G than this study gives them credit for," writes Windsor."


Funny thing about patents, how many Korean's EUV patents is just "seats and drinks trolleys"? if I'm not mistaken, didn't the USA win the EUV race and ASML bought Cymer specified for the core EUV patents that Cymer hold, correct me if i'm wrong.
 
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No one will know what happens until the lawyers tangle and the courts rule. I see room for numerous conflicts in this area.
 
The real threat to asml is their weakness in automation and ai both will be more important as shrink continues.
 
TSMC's EUV pellicle patent covers silicon carbide (SiC), but this material is sensitive to the hydrogen environment.
 

Attachments

  • US10001701B1 TSMC EUV SiC pellicle with Ru.pdf
    204.4 KB · Views: 237
I need to get to work but


So patents are infringed or used without permission.

Companies are investing resources in lithography and we'll see where it leads.
That's an old case which was already settle 2,5 years ago.

 
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