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Apparently the machines are pretty hard to replicate, the company (ASML) has had to deal with a couple of corporate espionage cases in the past[0]. [0]: https:
by woudsma 5y ago
Apparently the machines are pretty hard to replicate, the company (ASML) has had to deal with a couple of corporate espionage cases in the past[0].
[0]: https://nos.nl/artikel/2280228-wat-heeft-de-chinese-overheid-met-de-spionage-bij-asml-te-maken https://nos.nl/artikel/2280228-wat-heeft-de-chinese-overheid... (in Dutch)
- rapsey 5y agoWhat I meant was TSMC uses these machines. Anyone else (except the Chinese I guess?) can also use these machines. What is the TSMC secret sauce that no one else can match?
- Stevvo 5y agoThink of these machines as being what a paint brush is to an artist; it's just a tool. Anyone can buy a paintbrush, but it takes much skill and experience to paint a masterpiece. Even if you have a masterpiece in your possession to try and copy, you will fail.
- jasonwatkinspdx 5y agoIt's not a single thing, it's everything. State of the art fabs require precision control of an incredible number of process steps each with an incredible number of tunable dimensions. These machines are just one piece of the puzzle. A key piece, but buying the machines does not a fab make.
- treme 5y agohttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loiltpe6q-s&t=3s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loiltpe6q-s&t=3s fantastic channel that goes in depth on chip industry
- Keyframe 5y agoIt's one (well, few) step of the process, albeit probably the most important.
- wonnage 5y agoSemiconductor manufacturing seems to have a very big winner-takes-all advantage, it takes enormous amounts of capital and 3-5 years to start a new fab, and the incumbents own a complicated web of secrets and patents that are basically impossible to navigate.