Japan research body AIST to create chipmaking R&D base

The industry ministry-affiliated National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, or AIST, will establish a domestic research and development base for semiconductor production equipment and chip materials, it was learned Tuesday.
It will be the first Japanese research institute to introduce extreme ultraviolet lithography equipment, crucial for making chips’ circuit line widths narrower.
The institute plans to receive technical cooperation from U.S. technology giant Intel in its bid to boost the competitiveness of the Japanese chip industry.
AIST’s new base, to be built in three to five years, is expected to feature a system enabling corporations to conduct experiments using extreme ultraviolet lithography equipment for a fee. Also envisioned are measures to develop semiconductor-related personnel through exchanges with foreign research institutes.
Intel will provide expertise on chip production using extreme ultraviolet lithography technology. It apparently hopes to pursue potential partnerships in manufacturing equipment and semiconductor materials, areas viewed as Japanese manufacturers’ fortes.
Intel began accelerating cooperation with Japanese companies this year. It established with Omron and others a research and development organization for the assembly and testing process of chip production, aiming to develop and test equipment necessary for automation.