Intel is a staunch supporter of Moore’s Law. Although the technical indicators of each generation process are very strong, it has indeed lagged behind TSMC and Samsung Electronics in terms of progress.
At present, Intel’s 12th and 13th generation processors are still using the Intel 7 process (formerly 10nm Superfin), and next year’s Meteor Lake will use a new generation of Intel 4 process (formerly 7nm).
Intel 4 will be Intel’s first FinFET process based on EUV extreme ultraviolet light technology, which can increase performance per watt by 20%, while Meteor Lake is scheduled to be taped in the fourth quarter of this year and shipped in 2023.
Intel 4 was followed by Intel 3, the last generation of FinFET-based technology with an 18% increase in performance per watt, and production was previously planned for the second half of 2023.
Next is the Intel 20A process. At that time, Intel will also abandon FinFET technology and turn to the GAA route. 20A will adopt two breakthrough technologies-PowerVia and RibbonFET. The former is Intel’s original power supply technology, and the latter is based on GAA technology. The new breakthrough is expected to come out in 2024.
The technology in and after 2025 is still under development, named Intel 18A, will continue to improve the RibbonFET technology, and will use ASML’s next-generation high-NA EUV lithography machine, but the mass production time is uncertain.
Intel now announces that its first high-volume EUV lithography machine in Europe has been switched on at Fab 34 in Ireland and has successfully produced a 13.5nm wavelength light source.
Earlier this year, Fab 34 in Ireland introduced an EUV lithography machine, a key enabler of Intel4 technology.
Manufactured by ASML in the Netherlands, the system is arguably the most complex machine ever built by man, Intel said. Since the delivery of the new EUV lithography machine, the local team has been installing and debugging, and this week ushered in an important moment, Intel officially launched the EUV lithography machine, and the 25KW laser successfully excited 13.5 nm wavelength EUV light source.
This is an important milestone on the road to mass production of Intel4 technology, and it is also the first time that a large-capacity EUV lithography machine has been used in Europe.
According to reports, the EUV system consists of more than 100,000 parts, 3,000 cables, 40,000 bolts and more than a mile of hose. After it arrived in Leixlip, the local team has been trying to figure out how to produce the first light, but the process is very complicated because it relies on an intricate technology of many factors, whether it is the lithography machine itself or the overall facility. The qualification of the system and the connection to the utility required a team effort to achieve it, even before it took 18 months just to build the factory and prepare the facility.
In this process, more than 100 ASML employees worked with contractors, Intel engineers and technician teams to build and deploy, and it is expected that Intel 4 technology will be ready for mass production in the next period of time.
