ASML Holding N.V. has announced three deals for its extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography technology with Intel Corp., Samsung Electronics and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC).
The deals focus on the transition to larger-format EUV lithography photomasks and the further adoption of high numerical aperture (High-NA) EUV lithography with Intel, TSMC and Samsung.
Accelerating High-NA
One of the major themes from the three collaborations with ASML is the proliferation of High-NA EUV lithography.
High-NA represents the world’s most advanced and expensive chipmaking machine. Built by ASML, it promises a compressed wavelength, a wider lens and 8 nm resolution. The higher NA gathers more light to enable finer patterning, but instead of widening the lens it reduces the imaging field. The latest High-NA scanners can process 220 wafers per hour.
TSMC said it intends to use ASML’s High-NA technology in high-volume manufacturing for advanced nodes starting in 2030. The Taiwanese foundry giant expects the number of layers requiring High-NA EUV will rise, driven by complex transistor architectures required for AI applications.
Samsung said it will transition to next-generation 12-inch photomask lithography but also will introduce High-NA EUV lithography into future DRAM high-volume manufacturing for the first time in the industry by 2028.
Samsung said High-NA EUV is expected to extend the DRAM scaling roadmap with improved resolution for process simplification and increased efficiency.
Finally, Intel Foundry, which was one of the first adopters of the High-NA EUV lithography, has used the technology with more than 1 million wafers processed to date across early tool certification and testing.
Intel said it is using the High-NA for its 18 A for select layers and is planning to move beyond 6-inch masks as it is looking to larger mask format options for the future of semiconductor manufacturing.
“The companies building the increasingly complex AI products of the future need manufacturing innovations that are production-ready and easy to use,” said Naga Chandrasekaran, Intel executive vice president and co-general manager of Intel Foundry. “Within our lithography capabilities, Intel Foundry is focused on near term enablement of High NA on 6-inch masks with or without stitching, and making the transition to 6x12-inch masks. We will continue to work closely with ASML and the entire industry to enable this transition.”
Larger format photomasks
ASML is enlisting the help of NY Creates, the research hub based in New York, to proliferate the transition to 12-inch photomasks for High-NA EUV lithography, which will increase the areas in which chip components can be printed at the smallest process technology nodes.
As part of the effort, NY Creates will install a High-NA EUV capability at its Lithography Center that will allow it to print chip components at the sub-1 nm mode.
“High NA EUV lithography represents one of the most significant technological advancements in semiconductor manufacturing, and its successful adoption will depend on unprecedented collaboration across the global semiconductor ecosystem,” said Dave Anderson, [President and CEO of NY Creates. “This initiative reflects the industry's shared commitment to solving complex technical challenges through collaborative research and development, and Creates is proud to contribute its convening power, infrastructure, and ecosystem expertise to accelerate progress with ASML, TSMC and partners.”
