Hoya Cannot Fully Meet Samsung's 2027 EUV Mask Blank Request

Hoya has told Samsung Electronics it cannot fully supply the extra EUV mask blanks Samsung requested for 2027, Korea's TheElec reported, citing industry sources. Taiwan's DigiTimes carried the report on Nov. 14. Samsung's semiconductor procurement division made the request in September. Hoya replied that full accommodation would be difficult because demand from other chipmakers is growing quickly. Neither company has commented publicly.

The request follows internal Samsung simulations that showed a sharp rise in mask blank consumption for next year's production. Mask blanks are coated substrates on which EUV photomasks are patterned. A shortage can delay masks for new chip designs and replacement masks for chips already in volume production.

How many blanks does Samsung need?

Samsung expects to consume about 5,500 EUV blanks this year, according to TheElec. Internal simulations project about 25% annual growth over the next three years.

The growth comes from more EUV layers per chip:

• DRAM: four to five EUV masks in the 1b process, six to seven in 1c, and about 10 in 1d, slated for mass production in the second half of 2027.
• Foundry: 15 to 16 EUV masks at 4nm, about 20 at 3nm, and 25 to 27 at 2nm.

A shift to phase-shift masks adds pressure. Industry sources told TheElec that phase-shift blanks take 1.5 to two times longer to make, so the same equipment produces fewer of them.

Can Hoya's capacity catch up?

Hoya's new Singapore plant will not help Samsung in time. The company said earlier this year it would build the facility next to its existing Singapore plant, with an initial investment of about 42 billion yen and operations beginning in fiscal 2028. Hoya cited expected medium-term demand growth of more than 10%.

On its latest quarterly call, Hoya said EUV blank revenue rose more than 25% year over year. It also indicated that one new plant might not be enough, TheElec reported.

Industry estimates put Hoya's share of the global EUV mask blank market at 70% to 75%. AGC, formerly Asahi Glass, holds 20% to 25%. Samsung once split purchases 80:20 between Hoya and AGC, but quality issues with AGC products and specification changes reportedly pushed Hoya's share of Samsung's buying above 90%. That concentration leaves Samsung exposed to a single Japanese supplier at exactly the moment its EUV layer counts climb.

What is Samsung's second-source plan?

Samsung is running final mass-production qualification on EUV blanks from S&S Tech, a South Korean supplier. Key thin-film properties reportedly meet Samsung's requirements, but particle contamination still needs work, according to TheElec. If the blanks pass qualification, they would be the first Korean-made EUV blanks used in Samsung's production.

The outcome will shape Samsung's ramp plans for 1d DRAM and 2nm foundry nodes. Unless S&S Tech clears qualification or Hoya reallocates supply, Samsung faces a constrained blank pipeline into 2027, with its Singapore supply relief still a year away.