Checking on EUV Production Line
On Feb. 20, Samsung vice chairman Lee Jae-yong checked on an exclusive extreme ultraviolet (EUV) foundry line which began to run for the first time in the world in Feburary, and once again, made clear its will to make Samsung Electronics the world leader in non-memory semiconductors in 2030.
Samsung Electronics said that Lee had a field meeting with the presidents of the DS Business Division after taking a tour of the EUV line of the plant on Feb. 20.
Samsung Electronics broke ground for V1, the world's first EUV semiconductor-only line checked on by Lee in early 2018 and completed it in the second half of2019. The company invested about US$6 billion in V1 Line. If a full line is completed in the future, its total investment is expected to reach 20 trillion won.
"V1 includes the meanings of Ultra Violet and Victory,” a Samsung Electronics official said. “We plan to make additional investments in V1 Line according to market conditions in the future.”
An EUV process engraves semiconductor circuits on wafers by using a short-wavelength ultraviolet light source. The advanced process can create finer circuits than the ArF method so it is suitable for ultra-fine under-10-nanometer processes and holds the key to making high-performance and low-power consumption semiconductors.
Samsung Electronics has judged that the EUV process is vital to closely trail Taiwan's TSMC, the global foundry industry leader. In V1 Line, 5-nm and 3-nm semiconductors are produced in addition to 7-nm chips, Samsung's next-generation foundry products. 7-nm products which have been in mass production from the beginning of February will be delivered to global customers in March.
Earlier, Samsung Electronics announced “Semiconductor Vision 2030” through which the company will rise to the top in the world non-memory semiconductor market by investing 133 trillion won in system semiconductors and hire 15,000 people by 2030 with the participation of President Moon Jae-in at Hwaseong Plant in April 2019.
"Last year, we planted a seed of our vision of becoming the number one company in system semiconductors and today we took the first toward a long journey to the goal," Lee told employees after checking on the EUV line on the day