Samsung and ASML announced on 8 September an expanded strategic partnership covering High NA EUV lithography and next-generation semiconductor manufacturing. Samsung said it plans to introduce ASML’s High NA EUV technology into future DRAM high-volume manufacturing by 2028, while also joining an industry initiative to develop 12-inch photomask technology.
The announcement describes a manufacturing plan rather than a completed deployment. It does not identify the Samsung facility, DRAM process generation, ASML system model or production capacity involved.
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What changed
The partnership builds on an existing relationship between Samsung and ASML rather than representing a standalone equipment announcement.
It has two main elements:
- Samsung will join work on next-generation 12-inch photomasks, cooperating with industry partners on the mask technologies and supporting infrastructure needed for the transition.
- Samsung plans to use ASML’s High NA EUV lithography in future DRAM high-volume manufacturing by 2028.
Samsung describes the planned DRAM adoption as the first of its kind in the industry. That is an attributed company claim, and the announcement does not provide an independent assessment or evidence that the deployment has already begun.
The companies’ collaboration covers Samsung’s memory and foundry manufacturing activities. The announcement also says they expect to continue exploring advanced memory and other manufacturing approaches.
From 6-inch to 12-inch photomasks
A photomask is a patterned template used during lithography to transfer circuit features onto a semiconductor wafer. According to Samsung, the industry has relied on 6-inch photomasks for decades. The initiative would develop a 12-inch format for future semiconductor manufacturing.
Samsung and ASML say that combining larger masks with High NA EUV is expected to increase fab productivity, reduce chipmaking costs and remove stitching constraints. The announcement does not quantify any of those expected gains or provide details of the proposed mask design, manufacturing process or deployment schedule.
How the technologies fit together
EUV lithography uses extreme-ultraviolet light to project circuit patterns onto a wafer through a photomask. It is used to define the small features that make up semiconductor circuits.
High NA, or high numerical aperture, lithography is intended to improve the optical resolution of that patterning process. Higher resolution can allow manufacturers to print smaller or more densely packed features and may reduce the number of patterning steps required for some layers.
That makes High NA EUV relevant to both advanced memory and logic manufacturing. In this announcement, Samsung connects the technology specifically to the future scaling of DRAM.
The photomask initiative addresses a different but related part of the manufacturing system. Lithography equipment, masks and the supporting production infrastructure must work together in a qualified manufacturing process. Samsung’s planned participation therefore extends beyond adopting lithography equipment: it includes development of the mask platform and the infrastructure needed to use it at scale.
The announcement presents the 12-inch mask transition as a change from the established 6-inch format. It does not provide measured comparisons of the two formats, nor does it explain how the proposed platform would achieve the stated productivity or stitching benefits.
Why it matters for DRAM manufacturing
DRAM is a volatile semiconductor memory technology used widely in computers, mobile devices and data-centre systems. Its manufacturers continually work to fit more memory capacity and functionality into a given area while maintaining acceptable production efficiency and yield.
Samsung says High NA EUV’s improved resolution could extend the DRAM scaling roadmap, simplify manufacturing processes and increase efficiency. In principle, the ability to print smaller or more densely packed features can support continued scaling. However, the announcement supplies no process-generation details, experimental results, yield measurements or production benchmarks showing that these outcomes have been achieved.
The proposed transition could also affect the economics and complexity of chip production. Samsung and ASML link larger photomasks and High NA EUV to higher productivity, lower costs and fewer stitching constraints. Those are expected benefits, not demonstrated results in this announcement.
The development is therefore important mainly as an indication of where Samsung and ASML are directing future manufacturing work. It does not yet establish a change in the DRAM products available to consumers or data-centre operators.
Any effect on future memory capacity, device performance or prices would depend on successful development, process qualification and high-volume production. The announcement does not quantify those downstream effects.
What to watch
The next meaningful evidence will be technical and operational rather than another partnership description. Important developments would include details of the targeted DRAM process, the relevant production facility and the High NA EUV system; progress in qualifying 12-inch photomasks; and participation by additional mask-technology companies.
Measured results will also matter. Resolution, patterning steps, productivity, defect levels, manufacturing yield and cost would show whether the proposed transition delivers the benefits Samsung and ASML currently expect.
Until those results are available, the announcement is best understood as a roadmap for future semiconductor manufacturing rather than proof of a production breakthrough.