SK hynix starts mass production of 1anm DRAM using EUV equipment

SK hynix says that it plans to provide the latest mobile DRAM products to smartphone manufacturers from the second half of 2021. This is the first time that SK hynix adopted the Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) equipment for mass production after proving the stability of the lithography technology through partial adoption for its 1ynm DRAM production. As technology migration continues to ultra-micro levels, an increasing number of semiconductor companies are adopting the EUV equipment for the photo process where circuit patterns are drawn on the wafer surfaces. Industry experts believe that a semiconductor company's leadership in technology will depend on how it can fully take advantage of the EUV equipment. SK hynix says in a press release that it plans to use the EUV technology for production of all its 1anm DRAM products going forward as it has proved the stability of the process. SK hynix expects the new technology to bring an improvement in productivity, and further boost cost competitiveness. The company expects the 1anm technology to lead to a 25% increase in the number of DRAM chips produced from the same size of a wafer, compared with the previous 1znm node. SK hynix anticipates that the 1anm DRAM will also likely help alleviate the supply and demand conditions of the global markets following an increase in DRAM demand globally. The new product stably runs 4266Mbps, the fastest transfer rate in a standard LPDDR4 mobile DRAM specification, and has reduced power consumption by 20%. It is a meaningful accomplishment for SK hynix as it aims to reduce carbon dioxide emission as part of its commitment to the environmental, social and governance (ESG) management. SK hynix will apply its 1anm technology to its DDR5 products, the world's first next-generation DRAM launched in October 2020, from early next year. "With improved productivity and cost competitiveness, the latest 1anm DRAM will not only help secure high profitability, but also solidify SK hynix's status as a leading technology company with early adoption of the EUV lithography technology for mass production," says Cho Youngmann, Vice President at SK hynix, in the press releae.