The Sub-2nm Paradox

By Ed Sperling - 01 Jun, 2026 - Comments: 2

Key Takeaways: Process variation and physics are changing semiconductor design, manufacturing, and economics at 2nm and below. Even though new manufacturing processes are being introduced, it's taking longer for them to mature. The focus for many chip designs is faster data movement and more efficient computing, rather than just relying on more transistors per mm2. At 2nm an... » read more

Curvilinear Masks Push The Limits Of Inspection And Metrology

By Gregory Haley - 27 May, 2026 - Comments: 0

Key Takeaways: Curvilinear masks require native data flows across design, mask data prep, writing, inspection, and metrology. Inspection is shifting from finding all defects to identifying which mask variations actually print on wafer. High-NA EUV will intensify inspection challenges, particularly for small printable defects and actinic contrast limits. Experts at the table... » read more

Mask Technology Faces A New Set Of Challenges

By Gregory Haley - 21 May, 2026 - Comments: 0

Key Takeaways: Mask inspection and repair remain the critical bottleneck, even as multi-beam writers have reduced mask-writing constraints. Curvilinear masks are becoming viable for critical layers, but qualification, metrology, and inspection standards still lag production needs. Scaling curvilinear requires curvilinear-native data flows, model-based checks, GPU/HPC compute, and les... » read more

Exploring The Frontiers Of Lithography And Patterning: Highlights From SPIE Advanced Lithography + Patterning 2026

By Travis Brist - 19 Mar, 2026 - Comments: 0

Leading‑edge system-on-chip (SoC) designs at deep submicron nodes are stretching lithography and patterning capabilities across the entire manufacturing flow. Extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography has become central to printing advanced features, using high‑power pulsed lasers to generate a plasma light source and reflective optics to project mask patterns onto the wafer. As error budgets t... » read more

Expert Panel Sees History Of Continuous Photomask Innovations As Key To The Future

By Jan Willis - 27 Oct, 2025 - Comments: 0

The eBeam Initiative conducted its 14th annual eBeam Initiative Luminaries survey in July and reported the results on September 23, 2025 to more than 200 attendees at its annual meeting during the BACUS SPIE Photomask Technology conference. Industry luminaries representing 51 companies from across the semiconductor ecosystem—including photomasks, electronic design automation (EDA), chip desig... » read more

Viability of aZnMIm As A Resist For EUV Lithography (Johns Hopkins, Northwestern, Intel et al.)

By Technical Paper Link - 27 Jun, 2025 - Comments: 0

A new technical paper (preprint) titled "Extreme Ultraviolet and Beyond Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography using Amorphous Zeolitic Imidazolate Resists Deposited by Atomic/Molecular Layer Deposition" was published by researchers at Johns Hopkins University, Northwestern University, Intel Corporation, Bruker Nano, EUV Tech and Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. The paper states "This study demonstr... » read more

Are Larger Reticle Sizes On The Horizon?

By Katherine Derbyshire - 19 Jun, 2025 - Comments: 0

Making high-NA EUV lithography work will take a manufacturing-worthy approach to stitching together circuits or a wholesale change to larger masks. Circuit stitching between the exposure fields is challenging the design, yield and manufacturability of the high-NA (0.55) EUV transition. The alternative is a radical change from 6x6-inch to 6x11-inch masks that would eliminate stitching, but it... » read more

EUV Lithography: The Resolution Capability And Stochastic Behavior From Statistical Viewpoints

By Technical Paper Link - 18 Jun, 2025 - Comments: 0

A new technical paper titled "Statistics of EUV exposed nanopatterns: Photons to molecular dissolutions" was published by Hiroshi Fukuda, Hitachi High-Tech Corporation. Abstract "For higher computing power of semiconductor integrated circuits, pattern feature sizes below 10 nm are anticipated by introducing extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography with high numerical aperture (NA) optics. Ho... » read more

Mask Complexity, Cost, And Change

By Gregory Haley - 22 May, 2025 - Comments: 0

Experts at the Table: As leading-edge lithography nodes push further into EUV and beyond, mask-making has become one of the most critical and costly aspects of semiconductor manufacturing. At the same time, non-EUV applications are stretching the lifetime of older tools and processes, challenging the industry to find new solutions for both ends of the spectrum. Semiconductor Engineering sat dow... » read more

Reflecting On The SPIE Advanced Lithography + Patterning Symposium 2025

By Harry Levinson - 20 Mar, 2025 - Comments: 0

The mood at this year’s SPIE Advanced Lithography + Patterning Symposium was decidedly upbeat. The outlook for business is good, due in large measure to expectations of high demand for chips, driven by artificial intelligence (AI). To realize the potential of AI, increases in chip performance and efficiency are needed, which, in turn, requires advanced patterning. In the Symposium’s technic... » read more

← Older posts

tag: high-NA EUV