Chip industry under threat with neon production set to fall off a cliff following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine (DE.VVSM) (IT.KSTR)
Neon is required for the lasers that are used in a chip production process known as lithography, where machines carve patterns onto tiny pieces of silicon made by the likes of Samsung, Intel and TSMC.
These machines are produced by Dutch firm ASML.
More than half of the worldâs neon is produced by a handful of companies in Ukraine, according to Peter Hanbury, a semiconductor analyst at research firm Bain & Co. 
Neon is required for the lasers that are used in a chip production process known as lithography, where machines carve patterns onto tiny pieces of silicon made by the likes of Samsung (US.SMSN), Intel (US.INL) and TSMC.
russia ukraine war laser neon shortage threatens semiconductor industry 2022