Growing delivery lead times for immersion scanner equipment is likely to interrupt Nanya Technology and Inotera Memories' planned technology transition to sub-50nm in 2010, according to industry sources. Rexchip Electronics, which expects to begin equipment move-in in February, may also see a delay in the delivery of about two months.
Nanya and Inotera have clarified that orders for immersion lithography tools are fulfilled in installments. They claimed the deliveries already move were all on schedule.
Nanya and Inotera are on track to complete their technology conversions to Micron Technology's 50nm stack by the end of 2010, and expect to begin pilot runs for 40nm-class chips in the second half of the year.
Rexchip Electronics, which makes chips based on Elpida Memory's designs, is scheduled to start using 45nm processing to produce DRAM in the second quarter of 2010.
A recent Gartner report indicated that the availability of 193 immersion steppers, which are critical to all technology upgrades, could limit wafer fab equipment spending growth in 2010. The year is set to see a 56.6% growth in wafer fab equipment spending.
Lithography tool maker ASML, which has reported profits for fourth-quarter 2009 compared to losses a year ago, said in a statement that it has seen a rise in bookings which are led by technology upgrades required to manufacture its customers' new chip designs such as 40nm DRAM chips, and also 20nm- and 30nm-made NAND flash products.