The next stage
Semiconductor feature sizes are now much smaller than the wavelength of the light being used in their creation.
While clever optical tricks are being used to extend optical lithography's useful life, the industry will need at some point to move to the next stage- and that point is approaching rapidly.
Two choices are available: maskless lithography and extreme ultraviolet (euv). The challenges involved in developing euv have seen the approach being regarded as tomorrow's technology - and always likely to be. Despite this, Intel has been a major euv champion.
TSMC, meanwhile, has been an euv sceptic, preferring to further develop immersion and maskless lithography. But the foundry is now taking delivery of a prototype euv system from ASML.
Despite its leading position in the foundry business, TSMC is a cautious company and wouldn't be making this move unless it was sure that euv has a future.
