Summary
TSMC and ASML have announced plans to adopt High-NA EUV lithography for high-volume manufacturing in 2030, and to push the industry toward larger 6-inch by 12-inch rectangular photomasks to make it economical. This Asianometry video explains the plan, with a pilot line targeted for 2031 and full production in 2033.
The video first covers why High-NA EUV is hard. Raising numerical aperture from 0.33 to 0.55 improves resolution, with half-pitch lines of roughly 7.5 to 8 nm, but it halves the exposure field to about 16.5 by 26 mm. That forces chipmakers to either run two shots or stitch exposures together for large designs such as AI chips. A larger mask restores full-field exposure, which per Intel raises scanner productivity by 23 to 50%, and could also benefit low-NA machines, with estimates of 450 wafers per hour or higher.
The second half explains how EUV masks are built, from low-thermal-expansion glass and 40 pairs of molybdenum and silicon layers to ruthenium or silicon dioxide buffers, tantalum absorbers, and pellicles. It maps the supplier ecosystem, including AGC, Hoya, Mitsui Chemicals, IMS, Applied Materials, and merchant mask shops like Toppan and DNP.
📺 Source: Asianometry · Published October 01, 2026
🏷️ Format: Deep Dive
