News Intel has championed High-NA EUV chipmaking tools, but costs and other limitations could delay industry-wide adoption: Report

[Admin]

Intel has taken an early lead in High-NA EUV lithography, but widespread adoption remains constrained by high tool costs, limited exposure field size, and potential need for substantial ecosystem upgrades.

Intel has championed High-NA EUV chipmaking tools, but costs and other limitations could delay industry-wide adoption: Report : Read more

 

[phead128]

High NA EUV is an optical (lens) optimization, it's not nearly a game changer as the jump between Low NA EUV vs. DUV.

Intel was partially forced to adopt the more expensive High NA EUV because of the backlog of Low NA EUV orders by TSMC and Samsung which would have added delays to "5 nodes in 4 years".

Also, doesn't Intel have Low NA EUV at its Ireland fabs, yet still needs to outsource fo TSMC? Intel hasn't mastered Low NA EUV yet, thinking High NA EUV giving it some edge is quite a logical leap.

 

[jg.millirem]

Good comprehensive summary. I used to work at Intel in tandem with the OCR team, and this all makes sense to me.

 

[BaDPhD]

Excellent story! One correction: the High NA EUV tools are in D1X, not D1D. Those monstrosities need a really high ceiling, which D1D doesn't have, and D1X didn't have until Intel raised it to accommodate them.