ASML and TSMC want bigger masks for smaller chips
Article excerpt
SYSTEMS Industry push aims to eliminate stitching constraints and ready high-NA EUV systems for production by 2033 ASML and chipmaking giant TSMC have launched an industry-wide push toward 12-inch photomasks, saying the larger format could lower costs and overcome some limitations of high-NA EUV lithography. Dutch firm ASML, the only commercial supplier of EUV lithography systems, says it and TSMC have established a collaboration intended to lead the transition to larger-format photomasks for extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography. Intel Foundry and Samsung Electronics have also voiced their support. The initiative aims to establish a 12-inch mask pilot line by 2031 and have the supporting lithography systems ready for advanced node production by 2033. According to ASML, high-NA EUV will initially enter production using current 6-inch masks, but moving to 12-inch masks could increase fab productivity, lower costs, and remove stitching constraints. The push for larger masks stems from the anamorphic optical design ASML adopted for its first generation of high-NA EUV machines so chipmakers could continue using existing 6-inch masks. The "NA" in high-NA EUV stands for numerical aperture – a measure of an optical system's ability to collect and focus light. Achieving a higher NA required larger optics, which increased the angle at which light strikes the reticle, or mask...
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TSMC has so far not used high-NA EUV , including for its 2 nm process, but says it intends to deploy the technology in high-volume manufacturing for advanced nodes beginning in 2030.
