[Exclusive] Samsung embeds quantum computing into semiconductor processes

Samsung is developing technology that uses quantum computers to simulate photolithography, a core process in semiconductor manufacturing. The project mobilizes next generation information technology in pursuit of breakthroughs in chip density and yield. Samsung SDS (018260), the group's system integration affiliate, is leading the research and plans to begin a proof of concept (POC) in the second half of this year.
According to the IT industry on the 1st, Samsung SDS has recently been developing a simulation algorithm that uses quantum computers to virtually reproduce part of the photolithography process. Photolithography refers to the stage in which light is used to draw microscopic circuits onto a wafer. Because it is the process of sketching the outline before the actual circuit is etched onto the wafer, it is considered one of the key processes that determines the quality of the finished semiconductor.
The research combines quantum computers with classical computers. Samsung SDS performs the core simulation calculations on a quantum computer, then processes the resulting information using a classical computer. The quantum computer serves as the central engine handling large scale calculations without bottlenecks. Artificial intelligence (AI) is deployed to detect and correct errors that occur while using the quantum computer at an early stage. The main goal of the research is to secure faster and more accurate photolithography simulation design technology by combining several advanced technologies. Samsung SDS has already secured some algorithms and plans to verify their effectiveness through a POC in the second half of the year.
If the technology is successfully developed, Samsung will preemptively secure process efficiency capabilities using next generation computing resources. Sophisticated simulation is expected to reduce the time and cost required to draw and etch semiconductor patterns. Samsung SDS does not plan to commercialize this technology as separate software. As a result, it is expected to share the technology with Samsung Electronics (005930) going forward to improve chip density and efficiency. Samsung Electronics has been developing process simulation technology through its Semiconductor Research Institute for more than a decade. Within the institute's Process Development Division, research teams are organized by product and by process, each studying optimization technology suited to its own characteristics.