Redesigning high-NA EUV; embedded liquid cooling; light wavelength analysis.
A researcher from the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) proposes redesigning the illumination systems and projectors used in high-NA EUV lithography to reduce optical effects and enhance resolution.
In the proposed projector design, the collector mirrors in the illumination system have a simpler design to bring short wavelengths of light from the EUV source to the photomask. Multiple reflections between carefully arranged mirrors cancel out optical defects while maintaining high numerical aperture.
“Current EUV lithography systems cost hundreds of millions of euros per machine. My new design should achieve fine, 2-3 nm scale details, in a much cheaper way compared to today’s state-of-the-art machines,” said Tsumoru Shintake, a professor at OIST, in a statement. “This design can make high-NA technology much simpler and cheaper to produce, opening new possibilities for semiconductor manufacturing. We should be able to create machines that are a quarter of the cost of those currently on the market.” [1]
Researchers from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) embedded liquid-cooling channels directly inside a silicon chip that, using room-temperature water, was able to maintain chip temperature below 100°C even under extreme heat-generation conditions exceeding 2,000 watts per square centimeter.
The Manifold MicroChannel (MMC) structure distributes coolant through multiple inlet channels and collects it through multiple outlets, shortening the distance coolant has to travel and thus reducing flow resistance and required pumping pressure. To avoid uneven coolant distribution, the researchers optimized the structure so that coolant could flow evenly through all microchannels while minimizing energy loss.
“As the performance of AI semiconductors and advanced electronic packaging becomes increasingly limited by heat, we expect this technology to serve as a foundational cooling solution for future high-performance computing systems,” said Sung Jin Kim, a professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at KAIST, in a press release.
When fabricated in an actual silicon semiconductor chip, the cooling system achieved a coefficient of performance of 106,000, with only about one-tenth of the pumping power required to remove the same amount of heat. The device was fabricated using a low-temperature process below 350°C that is compatible with conventional semiconductor manufacturing. [2]
Researchers from Zhejiang University and RMIT University demonstrated a way to build light wavelength analysis capability directly into imaging hardware.
The researchers used ultrafast laser pulses to create tiny spiral‑shaped structures inside transparent materials and a specialized optical system to visualize them. These structures act like microscopic light sorters, breaking incoming light into distinct patterns that a sensor can read.
“This is not about adding more image processing after the fact,” said Baohua Jia, a distinguished professor from RMIT’s Centre for Atomaterials and Nanomanufacturing (CAN), in a press release. “It introduces a new physical component that separates light at a very small scale, close to the sensor itself.”
To demonstrate the feasibility of the approach, the team integrated the structure with a commercial image sensor and showed that it could detect spectral information and support microscopic spectral imaging.
In the press release, Zhejiang University’s Bo Zhang notes that “next steps include scaling up fabrication, testing other materials and refining the software used to reconstruct light information.” [3]
[1] T. Shintake. “High-NA in-line projector for EUV lithography,” Journal of Micro/Nanopatterning, Materials, and Metrology 25(2), 023801 (12 Jun 2026) https://doi.org/10.1117/1.JMM.25.2.023801
[2] Y. J. Lee, C.H. Hwang, H. Lee, et al. Highly energy-efficient manifold microchannel for cooling electronics with a coefficient of performance over 100,000. Energy Conversion and Management http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.enconman.2026.121422
[3] B. Zhang, S. Liu, F. Zeng, et al. Optical dispersion using micro-vortices in thermoplastic polymers for integrated microspectrometers. Nat Electron (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41928-026-01618-z
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