ASML’s grip on the most advanced corner of chip manufacturing is tightening. The Dutch company, already the sole supplier of extreme ultraviolet lithography systems, is winning broader industry support for High Numerical Aperture EUV, or High NA, its next-generation technology for printing smaller and denser circuitry.… Read More
Tag: lithography
ASML and TSMC’s 12-Inch Photomask Initiative: Technical Significance
ASML and TSMC’s proposed shift from 6-inch to 12-inch photomasks is an attempt to redesign a critical but often overlooked part of advanced semiconductor manufacturing. Photomasks are precision plates carrying the circuit patterns projected by a lithography scanner onto a silicon wafer. In extreme-ultraviolet lithography,… Read More
Podcast EP364: The Broad Impact of Advanced Mask Solutions, Today and Tomorrow with Dr. Germain Fenger
Daniel is joined by Dr. Germain Fenger, Senior Director of Product Management at Synopsys where he leads advanced mask solutions and computational lithography technologies. With a background spanning semiconductor manufacturing, lithography research, engineering, and product leadership, Germain has held roles at imec,… Read More
SPIE Advanced Lithography + Patterning 2027
Connect with the semiconductor community
The exhibition at Advanced Lithography + Patterning is where people gather to collaborate and get business done. Find these technology solutions and more:
• Photoresist, EUV, and other specialty materials
• E-beam lithography systems
• Precision cleaning, contamination, transport… Read More
ASML’s Path to Lithography Dominance—and the Coming Maskless Revolution
ASML’s dominance was not born from a single invention. It emerged from four decades of systems engineering, supplier orchestration, and repeated bets on lithographic transitions that competitors judged too expensive. Founded in 1984 as a Philips–ASM joint venture, the Dutch company first differentiated itself with modular… Read More
Accelerating Computational Lithography Using Massively Parallel GPU Rasterizer
As semiconductor manufacturing pushes deeper into the nanometer regime, computational lithography has evolved from a supporting step into a central pillar of advanced chip design. Mask synthesis, lithography simulation, and optical proximity correction (OPC) now demand unprecedented levels of accuracy and computational… Read More
TSMC Process Simplification for Advanced Nodes
In the modern world, the semiconductor industry stands at the heart of technological innovation. From smartphones and laptops to advanced medical devices and artificial intelligence systems, nearly every piece of contemporary electronics depends on increasingly sophisticated microchips. Among the leading companies … Read More
CEO Interview with Dr. Heinz Kaiser of Schott
With over 25 years of experience in the specialty materials industry, Dr. Heinz Kaiser is a member of the Management Board of SCHOTT AG, responsible for High-Performance Materials and Flat Glass, while also heading Sales and Market Development, Sales Excellence, and Intellectual Property. With a strong engineering background… Read More
Kirin 9030 Hints at SMIC’s Possible Paths Toward >300 MTr/mm2 Without EUV
Earlier this month, TechInsights did a teardown of the Kirin 9030 chip found in Huawei’s Mate 80 Pro Max [1]. Two clear statements were made on the findings: (1) the transistor density of SMIC’s “N+3” process was definitely below that of the earlier 5nm processes from Samsung and TSMC, and (2) metal pitch was aggressively scaled
Self-Aligned Spacer Patterning for Minimum Pitch Metal in DRAM
The patterning of features outside a DRAM cell array can be just as challenging as those within the array itself [1]. The array contains features which are densely packed, but regularly arranged. On the other hand, outside the array, the minimum pitch features, such as the lowest metal lines in the periphery for the sense amplifier… Read More
