South Korean ESOL will show the second generation of EUV prototype equipment this year

CTOnews.com February 11 news, according to TheElec, the Korean EUV equipment manufacturer ESOL CEO Kim Byung-gook said in an interview that this year will launch its second generation EUV (extreme Ultraviolet) device prototype.

KimByung-gook said the company received 35 billion won (currently about 188 million yuan) last year, most of which will be spent on research and development. So far, ESOL has launched four products in its first-generation product line. Among them, EUV mask inspection equipment and EUV film transmittance testing machine have generated income.

ESOL, a subsidiary of chip film maker FST, was founded in 2018 by Kim Byung-gook, which once worked in Samsung's chip business unit.

CTOnews.com learned that ESOL focuses on developing EUV solutions, focusing on a variety of solutions and devices for EUV or VUV lithography applications.

Two other products in its first-generation product line, the EUV phase reversal mask and the lithography machine for photoresist development, are also expected to generate revenue this year.

The main product of ESOL's four current products is its thin film transmittance testing device, which faces at least two competitors in this field.

The EUV mask inspection device, called SREM 330, has a scanning reflection EUV microscope and a matching device called FREM or full-field reflection EUV microscope is under development.

At the same time, there are three products in ESOL's second-generation EUV lineup, one of which will be launched this year. The new device will include an upgraded EUV mask inspection device that scans the entire surface of the mask, rather than scanning only certain points, as first-generation machines did.