Semiconductors

　　半導體

　　Chipping in

　　芯片技術集資

　　A deal to keep Moore s law alive

　　一場交易使得摩爾定律劫后余生

　　THE arrival of a new generation of semiconductors has come a little closer.

　　新一代半導體誕生的日子離我們又近了一些。

　　On July 9th ASML, a Dutch company that dominates the market for the lithographicequipment that etches circuits onto silicon, struck a deal with Intel, the world s largestchipmaker.

　　7月9號，荷蘭公司阿斯麥與全球最大的芯片制造商英特爾簽訂了一份協議。阿斯麥因擁有光刻設備將電路刻蝕在硅片上的技術而控制著大多數市場。

　　Intel has agreed to pay about 2.5 billion for 15% of ASML.

　　因特爾同意以25億歐元收購阿斯麥15%的股份。

　　It will provide 829m for ASML sresearch-and-development efforts and will buy the resulting tools, due in a few years.

　　Intel將為阿斯麥的研發活動投資8.29億歐元，并在未來幾年購買其研發產品。

　　ASML has also been talking to its two other biggest customers, Samsung and TaiwanSemiconductor Manufacturing Corporation. It is willing to sell 25% of itself in all.

　　阿斯麥也正在和其他兩個最大的客戶三星、臺灣積體電路制造股份有限公司進行洽談商議。阿斯麥愿意出售自身所有股份的25%。

　　Of Intel s R D money, 553m will go on technology to make chips on silicon wafers450mm in diameter.

　　英特爾公司的研發經費中有5.53億歐元將用于研發用直徑450毫米的硅晶圓制作芯片的技術。

　　Twice as many chips could be cut from these as from today s biggest, which are 300mmacross.

　　與目前利用直徑最大的300毫米硅晶圓相比，這種技術切割出來的芯片數大一倍。

　　The rest of the cash is for extreme ultraviolet technology, which the industry hopes will pushthe width of circuits below today s frontier of 20 nanometres.

　　其余的資金將用于遠紫外線光刻技術的研發，業內希望這項技術能令電路打破目前20納米寬的下限。

　　This will enable more circuitry to be packed onto smaller chipsand allow the life of Moore slaw, which says that the number of transistors on a chip doubles every 18 months or so, to beextended yet again.

　　這將使更小的芯片上能封裝更多線路并使得摩爾定律的壽命再次得到延長，摩爾定律即集成電路芯片上所集成的電路的數目，大約每隔18個月就翻一番。

　　With customers taking equity, putting up research money and making advance orders, ASMLwill be surer of having a market for products that take a lot of time and money to create.

　　因為客戶購買其股票、投入更多研發經費以及提前下訂，ASML那些需要大量時間和金錢才能制造的產品肯定會有市場。

　　It reckons that EUV will cost it and its suppliers 3.4 billion.

　　阿斯麥估計遠紫外線光刻技術的研發將花費公司和公司供應方 34億歐元。

　　Moving to 450mm will require new machines and the reconfiguration of factories.

　　推動其研發到直徑450毫米晶圓需要新機器和工廠的重新配置。

　　A report in 2005 by VLSI, a research firm, estimated that the shift from 200mm to 300mmwafers a decade ago cost the industry $11.6 billion.

　　2005年，研究公司VLSI發布了一份報告，稱十年前,從200mm至300 mm晶圓的轉變估計令該行業花掉了116億美元。

　　Until Intel promised to pay, ASML had been reluctant to press on with 450mm technology.

　　直到英特爾承諾支付其經費，阿斯麥才愿意推進450毫米晶圓技術的研發。

　　The development of EUV, in contrast, was likely anyway.

　　相比之下，遠紫外線光刻技術的研發勢在必行。

　　EUV has been very important, says Richard Windsor of Nomura, an investment bank. Mostsemiconductor companies consider it critical to taking them beyond 20 nanometres.

　　投資銀行野村證券的理查德溫莎稱：遠紫外線光刻技術一直都非常重要，大多數半導體公司認為，要制造小于20納米的電路，這項技術是關鍵。

　　Deals like this week s should help to get the market goingand cement ASML s lead in thelithographic race.

　　像這周這樣的交易應該會幫助市場得以運轉，同時鞏固了阿斯麥在半導體光刻工藝技術領域的領先地位。

　　詞語解釋

　　1.semiconductor n.半導體

　　Other semiconductor stocks also moved up.

　　其他半導體個股紛紛走高。

　　2.silicon n.硅;硅元素

　　This makes dye-based cells more flexible thansilicon ones.

　　這個特性使染料電池比硅光電池更加靈活。

　　3.customer n.顧客，客戶;主顧

　　Our customers have very tight budgets.

　　我們的顧客很會精打細算。

　　4.chip n.碎片;缺口

　　Frank Browne shook more sauce over his chips.

　　弗蘭克布朗在炸薯條上又撒了些醬汁。

　　5.frontier n.邊疆，邊境;邊界

　　It wasn t difficult then to cross the frontier.

　　那時穿越邊境并不困難。

　　Semiconductors

　　半導體

　　Chipping in

　　芯片技術集資

　　A deal to keep Moore s law alive

　　一場交易使得摩爾定律劫后余生

　　THE arrival of a new generation of semiconductors has come a little closer.

　　新一代半導體誕生的日子離我們又近了一些。

　　On July 9th ASML, a Dutch company that dominates the market for the lithographicequipment that etches circuits onto silicon, struck a deal with Intel, the world s largestchipmaker.

　　7月9號，荷蘭公司阿斯麥與全球最大的芯片制造商英特爾簽訂了一份協議。阿斯麥因擁有光刻設備將電路刻蝕在硅片上的技術而控制著大多數市場。

　　Intel has agreed to pay about 2.5 billion for 15% of ASML.

　　因特爾同意以25億歐元收購阿斯麥15%的股份。

　　It will provide 829m for ASML sresearch-and-development efforts and will buy the resulting tools, due in a few years.

　　Intel將為阿斯麥的研發活動投資8.29億歐元，并在未來幾年購買其研發產品。

　　ASML has also been talking to its two other biggest customers, Samsung and TaiwanSemiconductor Manufacturing Corporation. It is willing to sell 25% of itself in all.

　　阿斯麥也正在和其他兩個最大的客戶三星、臺灣積體電路制造股份有限公司進行洽談商議。阿斯麥愿意出售自身所有股份的25%。

　　Of Intel s R D money, 553m will go on technology to make chips on silicon wafers450mm in diameter.

　　英特爾公司的研發經費中有5.53億歐元將用于研發用直徑450毫米的硅晶圓制作芯片的技術。

　　Twice as many chips could be cut from these as from today s biggest, which are 300mmacross.

　　與目前利用直徑最大的300毫米硅晶圓相比，這種技術切割出來的芯片數大一倍。

　　The rest of the cash is for extreme ultraviolet technology, which the industry hopes will pushthe width of circuits below today s frontier of 20 nanometres.

　　其余的資金將用于遠紫外線光刻技術的研發，業內希望這項技術能令電路打破目前20納米寬的下限。

　　This will enable more circuitry to be packed onto smaller chipsand allow the life of Moore slaw, which says that the number of transistors on a chip doubles every 18 months or so, to beextended yet again.

　　這將使更小的芯片上能封裝更多線路并使得摩爾定律的壽命再次得到延長，摩爾定律即集成電路芯片上所集成的電路的數目，大約每隔18個月就翻一番。

　　With customers taking equity, putting up research money and making advance orders, ASMLwill be surer of having a market for products that take a lot of time and money to create.

　　因為客戶購買其股票、投入更多研發經費以及提前下訂，ASML那些需要大量時間和金錢才能制造的產品肯定會有市場。

　　It reckons that EUV will cost it and its suppliers 3.4 billion.

　　阿斯麥估計遠紫外線光刻技術的研發將花費公司和公司供應方 34億歐元。

　　Moving to 450mm will require new machines and the reconfiguration of factories.

　　推動其研發到直徑450毫米晶圓需要新機器和工廠的重新配置。

　　A report in 2005 by VLSI, a research firm, estimated that the shift from 200mm to 300mmwafers a decade ago cost the industry $11.6 billion.

　　2005年，研究公司VLSI發布了一份報告，稱十年前,從200mm至300 mm晶圓的轉變估計令該行業花掉了116億美元。

　　Until Intel promised to pay, ASML had been reluctant to press on with 450mm technology.

　　直到英特爾承諾支付其經費，阿斯麥才愿意推進450毫米晶圓技術的研發。

　　The development of EUV, in contrast, was likely anyway.

　　相比之下，遠紫外線光刻技術的研發勢在必行。

　　EUV has been very important, says Richard Windsor of Nomura, an investment bank. Mostsemiconductor companies consider it critical to taking them beyond 20 nanometres.

　　投資銀行野村證券的理查德溫莎稱：遠紫外線光刻技術一直都非常重要，大多數半導體公司認為，要制造小于20納米的電路，這項技術是關鍵。

　　Deals like this week s should help to get the market goingand cement ASML s lead in thelithographic race.

　　像這周這樣的交易應該會幫助市場得以運轉，同時鞏固了阿斯麥在半導體光刻工藝技術領域的領先地位。

　　詞語解釋

　　1.semiconductor n.半導體

　　Other semiconductor stocks also moved up.

　　其他半導體個股紛紛走高。

　　2.silicon n.硅;硅元素

　　This makes dye-based cells more flexible thansilicon ones.

　　這個特性使染料電池比硅光電池更加靈活。

　　3.customer n.顧客，客戶;主顧

　　Our customers have very tight budgets.

　　我們的顧客很會精打細算。

　　4.chip n.碎片;缺口

　　Frank Browne shook more sauce over his chips.

　　弗蘭克布朗在炸薯條上又撒了些醬汁。

　　5.frontier n.邊疆，邊境;邊界

　　It wasn t difficult then to cross the frontier.

　　那時穿越邊境并不困難。