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Our knowledge of EUV is always growing. Earlier on much less was known, so we can expect a fast buildup of an EUV fleet without knowing any better, and using them maximally, at least to get as much key data as possible. But now I expect people to be more careful. Especially with the newly...
"Results may vary." :ROFLMAO:
They talk about enabling direct print, but at the same time the 40-step multipatterning (3 masks) was broadcast widely as well.
LELELELE was mainly shown by Samsung at 8nm if I recall correctly. The difficult with more than two LEs is the CD/pitch ratio is too low, so NILS (normalized image log-slope) is bad.
This I doubt, since the fin pitch is so small. EUV DP still too expensive and more issues than DUV SAPQ.
DUV...
So far High-NA still gives bad images even at 28 nm pitch. To be fair low-NA should be the same.
High-NA has less depth of focus so needs thinner resist, which tends to be more defective.
The author of this article doesn't know what he is talking about it, as he writes that Intel 18A will use High-NA.
Interestingly, TSMC's decision to leave high-NA EUV behind does put the company behind the likes of Intel Foundry in adopting the latest tools, since Team Blue is said to utilize...
It's interesting or useful as a replacement for CO2 lasers regardless of application. But this technology is already well-established, such as Nd:YAG laser.
It always struck me as a little disingenuous to report throughput at a dose of 20 or 30 mJ/cm2, when it should be reported at 50-60 mJ/cm2. With powers of 500W already available, it should be easier to present?
There were reports Ascend 920 is made on a "6nm" by SMIC. If TechInsights can analyze it, we might see their actual current progress or where they're stuck. "6nm" might still be practically the same design rules as TSMC N7. N5 EUV still needed double patterning but the corresponding DUV...
If the SiCarrier process is used, that would be interesting. The low yield predictions are associated with the (LE)n style of multipatterning. SAQP-based is much simpler but is more fitting for elongated, limited pitch layouts.
UBS hinted NVIDIA and Broadcom may have had some feedback on 18A, preferring 18AP instead: https://www.marketwatch.com/story/it-looks-like-intel-may-have-to-go-it-alone-can-ceo-lip-bu-tan-fix-the-company-solo-b22b54d2 But that shouldn't affect the plans for Intel Product.
Tim Arcuri, a UBS...
Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan appears to be adopting a go-it-alone strategy as he embarks on rebooting the chip giant.
By Therese Poletti
Last Updated: April 17, 2025 at 7:01 p.m. ET
Intel Corp.’s stock recently rode a wave of enthusiasm around potential deals or partnerships that could make its...
TechInsights will probably follow up on this, but they had felt that 6 nm (N+3) may actually just be a closer approach to TSMC N7 than N+2.
https://library.techinsights.com/hg-asset/082ca072-8e6f-4d09-a0eb-2b1c65353e9f
It looks like Intel's HP and HD cells are differentiated by track pitch (36 nm vs. 32 nm), with fixed track number (5), whereas TSMC has fixed track pitch (26 nm) and differentiates by track number (6 vs. 5). Two pitches is more complicated lithographically (different pitches focus differently).
The higher power of the FEL means mirror damage is a new concern, e.g., https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0925346725003222#
Probably a hydrogen plasma is still needed to keep the mirrors clean and cooled.
Pat Gelsinger, former CEO of Intel, recently posted on LinkedIn that he joined xLight as executive chairman, and the xLight official website also announced the news in March.
xLight is the company that develops a linear electron accelerator for extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography machines...
