EUV

Extracted Attributes

• Impact

  Enables etching of extremely fine patterns, advances chip miniaturization, crucial for next-generation microprocessors and memory chips

• Mechanism

  Reflective photomask to expose photoresist-covered substrate

• Components

  Laser-driven tin (Sn) plasma light source, reflective optics (multilayer mirrors), hydrogen gas ambient

• Light Source

  Laser-pulsed tin (Sn) plasma

• Technology Type

  Photolithography

• Key Manufacturer

  ASML Holding

• Light Wavelength

  13.5 nm

• Wavelength Range

  Near 13.5 nm (13.36nm – 13.65nm at 50% power)

• Photon Emission Source

  Tin ions in ionic states from Sn IX to Sn XIV

• Future Process Nodes Supported

  Sub-2 nm Logic nodes, leading-edge DRAM nodes (with TWINSCAN EXE:5200B)

• Process Nodes Supported (as of 2023)

  5 nm, 3 nm

Timeline

• EUV technology development pursued in Japan through ASET and EUVA programs, and in the US by EUV LLC. (Source: Web Search Results)

  1990s

• IBM Research stated that EUV lithography would define the future of semiconductor manufacturing and be integral to future breakthroughs. (Source: Web Search Results)

  2016

• ASML Holding is the only company producing and selling EUV systems for chip production, targeting 5 nm and 3 nm process nodes. (Source: Wikipedia, Summary)

  2023

• Intel's underinvestment in EUV manufacturing is cited as a factor in its decline, ceding leadership to TSMC. (Source: Related Documents)

  2023

• Drastic shrinking of features allowed 50 billion transistors to fit on a single chip with the latest 2 nanometer technology, a breakthrough led by IBM Research using EUV lithography. (Source: Web Search Results)

  Recent Decade

Extreme ultraviolet lithography

Extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUVL, also known simply as EUV) is a technology used in the semiconductor industry for manufacturing integrated circuits (ICs). It is a type of photolithography that uses 13.5 nm extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light from a laser-pulsed tin (Sn) plasma to create intricate patterns on semiconductor substrates. As of 2023, ASML Holding is the only company that produces and sells EUV systems for chip production, targeting 5 nanometer (nm) and 3 nm process nodes. The EUV wavelengths that are used in EUVL are near 13.5 nanometers (nm), using a laser-pulsed tin (Sn) droplet plasma to produce a pattern by using a reflective photomask to expose a substrate covered by photoresist. Tin ions in the ionic states from Sn IX to Sn XIV give photon emission spectral peaks around 13.5 nm from 4p64dn – 4p54dn+1 + 4dn−14f ionic state transitions.

Web Search Results

• What Is EUV Lithography?

  Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) lithography is transforming semiconductor manufacturing by enabling the etching of extremely fine patterns onto silicon wafers. Utilizing light with a 13.5 nm wavelength, this technology is essential for advancing chip miniaturization beyond traditional methods. Image 4: What Is EUV Lithography? _Image Credit:superbeststock/Shutterstock.com_ How Does EUV Lithography Work? [...] EUV Lithographyis a state-of-the-art technology in chip manufacturing that uses highly energetic ultraviolet light to carve detailed patterns onto semiconductor surfaces. It enables the production of chips with features smaller than 7 nanometers, pushing the boundaries of Moore's Law—a principle that has driven the exponential growth of computing power by doubling the number of transistors on a microchip approximately every two years. [...] In summary, EUV lithography represents a foundational advancement in semiconductor technology. Its ability to create extremely fine patterns on silicon wafers is crucial for the next generation of microprocessors and memory chips. As the technology continues to evolve and overcome existing challenges, it will play a transformative role in shaping the future of computing and electronic devices. Discover More: Ultra-High Purity Gas Mixing for Improved Semiconductor Manufacturing

• Extreme ultraviolet lithography

  Unlike deep ultraviolet (DUV) lithography sources, based on excimer lasers, EUV plasma sources produce light across a broad range of wavelengths roughly spanning a 2% FWHM bandwidth near 13.5 nm (13.36nm – 13.65nm at 50% power). EUV (10–121nm) is the band longer than X-Rays (0.1–10nm) and shorter than the hydrogen Lyman-alpha line. [...] An EUV tool (EUV photolithography machine) has a laser-driven tin (Sn) plasma light source, reflective optics comprising multilayer mirrors, contained within a hydrogen gas ambient. The hydrogen is used to keep the EUV collector mirror, as the first mirror collecting EUV emitted over a large range in angle (~2π sr) from the Sn plasma, in the source free of Sn deposition. Specifically, the hydrogen buffer gas in the EUV source chamber or vessel decelerates or possibly pushes back Sn ions and Sn [...] Ultraviolet Limited Liability Company (EUV LLC). Meanwhile back in Japan, EUV technology development was pursued in the 1990s through the ASET (Association of Super-Advanced Electronics Technologies) and Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography Development Association (EUVA) programs.

• What is EUV lithography?

  In previous photolithography applications, the light used to etch the wafer is in the ultraviolet (or UV) range of the electromagnetic spectrum. To be able to print smaller patterns, shorter wavelengths of light are required. In the case of EUV (or extreme ultraviolet) lithography, the light used is well beyond the visible light spectrum, with wavelengths only about 13 nanometers wide. This light doesn’t occur naturally on earth, but can be produced by using a high-powered laser that impinges [...] upon droplets of tin to create plasma emitting light at this 13 nm wavelength. The EUV light is then collected with ultra-flat mirrors, precisely projected onto a mask with the desired design. The light carrying the image of the mask finally hits the surface of wafers coated with a photosensitive chemical, printing this image on the wafer. This EUV light is capable of creating patterns that are less than 12 nm in size, at least three times smaller than previous lithography technologies. [...] The drastic shrinking of features observed during the last decade has allowed 50 billion transistors to fit on a single chip with the latest 2 nanometer technology. That breakthrough was led by IBM Research, and required using a process called EUV lithography. It was a technique IBM Research first said would define the future of semiconductor manufacturing back in 2016, and would be integral to future breakthroughs.

• How ASML Is Redefining Technology, One Nanometer at a ...

  The process requires an extraordinary level of precision. EUV light is directed using ultra-flat mirrors developed in collaboration with specialized optics manufacturers. These mirrors are so precise that if scaled to the size of Germany, their imperfections would be smaller than a millimeter. The light is then used to transfer patterns onto the wafer through a photomask, enabling the production of billions of transistors in a space smaller than a fingernail. [...] While EUV machines are ASML's most advanced offering, the company also produces deep ultraviolet (DUV) lithography machines, which operate at larger wavelengths (between 193 and 248 nanometers).5 DUV technology is less advanced than EUV but remains critical for producing slightly older chip designs and is widely used in manufacturing processes. Chinese firms, unable to access EUV machines due to export restrictions, have heavily relied on ASML's DUV machines to sustain their semiconductor

• EUV lithography systems – Products

  EUV lithography is important because it makes scaling more affordable for chipmakers and allows the semiconductor industry to continue its pursuit of Moore’s Law. EUV systems are used to print the most intricate layers on a chip, with the rest of the layers printed using various DUV systems. Both types of technology will be required in parallel for many years to come and we’re continuing to advance both technologies. [...] Using extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light, our NXE and EXE systems deliver high-resolution lithography and make mass production of the world’s most advanced microchips possible #### EUV lithography does big things on a tiny scale. The technology, which is unique to ASML, prints microchips using light with a wavelength of just 13.5 nm – almost x-ray range. EUV is driving Moore’s Law forward and supporting novel transistor designs and chip architectures. [...] Image 3: TWINSCAN EXE:5000TWINSCAN EXE:5000 The dual-stage extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography system is the first in a new generation of machines that will support advanced Logic and Memory chip production.Image 4: TWINSCAN EXE:5200BTWINSCAN EXE:5200B The dual-stage EUV lithography system is designed to support volume production of sub-2 nm Logic nodes and leading-edge DRAM nodes. Image 5

• Instance Of

  Q4167410