ASML Has High-NA and Chipmakers Can’t Say No

ASML Has High-NA and Chipmakers Can’t Say No
by Daniel Nenni on 09-17-2026 at 6:00 am

ASML Has High NA and Some Chipmakers Can’t Say No

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


ASML and TSMC’s 12-Inch Photomask Initiative: Technical Significance

ASML and TSMC’s 12-Inch Photomask Initiative: Technical Significance
by Daniel Nenni on 09-07-2026 at 11:00 pm

ASML and TSMC’s 12 Inch Photomask Initiative

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

Podcast EP364: The Broad Impact of Advanced Mask Solutions, Today and Tomorrow with Dr. Germain Fenger
by Daniel Nenni on 09-04-2026 at 10:00 am

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

SPIE Advanced Lithography + Patterning 2027
by Admin on 09-03-2026 at 1:38 am

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 Path to Lithography Dominance—and the Coming Maskless Revolution
by Daniel Nenni on 08-14-2026 at 6:00 am

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

Accelerating Computational Lithography Using Massively Parallel GPU Rasterizer
by Kalar Rajendiran on 03-18-2026 at 10:00 am

Rasterization Polygon to pixel based representation

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

TSMC Process Simplification for Advanced Nodes
by Daniel Nenni on 02-22-2026 at 4:00 pm

TSMC Patent US10692720B2

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

CEO Interview with Dr. Heinz Kaiser of Schott
by Daniel Nenni on 01-22-2026 at 10:00 am

Dr. Heinz Kaiser (1)

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

Kirin 9030 Hints at SMIC’s Possible Paths Toward >300 MTr/mm2 Without EUV
by Fred Chen on 12-28-2025 at 2:00 pm

Number of masks required for the M0 through M3 layers

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

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Self-Aligned Spacer Patterning for Minimum Pitch Metal in DRAM

Self-Aligned Spacer Patterning for Minimum Pitch Metal in DRAM
by Fred Chen on 11-16-2025 at 10:00 am

Spacer Patterning for Minimum Pitch Metal in DRAM 1

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