TSMC and ASML: Initiative Announced to Drive the Industry’s Transition to Large-Format Photomasks for EUV with High NA

Although high-NA EUV will initially be used in production with the current 6-inch masks, the transition to larger 12-inch masks is expected to further increase fab productivity, reduce chip manufacturing costs, and eliminate stitching limitations, benefiting the entire semiconductor industry. This will enable leading chip manufacturers to fully leverage the benefits of high-NA EUV and design future generations of cutting-edge chips more cost-effectively.

“We expect the adoption of high-NA EUV to increase gradually as part of the roadmap for scaling down components—initially using the current 6-inch masks and later supplemented by 12-inch masks, which enable higher scanner productivity and allow the industry to meet the demand for smaller, faster, and more energy-efficient chips,” said Christophe Fouquet, President and CEO of ASML. “We are pleased with the strong initial support for this initiative from semiconductor manufacturers, mask suppliers, and partners.”

“We have always believed that when the industry works together to solve complex problems, we unlock opportunities that no single company could achieve on its own,” said Dr. C.C. Wei, Chairman and CEO of TSMC. “By pooling expertise from across the industry’s value chain, we hope to continue delivering the benefits of cutting-edge technology through continuous innovation—innovation that breaks down barriers and makes advanced solutions accessible on a large scale.”

TSMC plans to deploy ASML’s high-NA technology in mass production for advanced feature sizes starting in 2030. As feature sizes continue to shrink, TSMC expects an increase in the number of layers requiring high-NA EUV—primarily due to the increasingly complex transistor architectures required for AI applications.

On September 7, ahead of the annual SPIE BACUS conference in Monterey, California, ASML and TSMC launched an industry-wide collaboration initiative to drive the transition to 12-inch photomasks. This initiative aims to establish a pilot line for 12-inch masks by 2031, paving the way for the use of 12-inch high-NA lithography systems in the production of advanced feature sizes by 2033.

As a sign of broad industry support, key partners and suppliers from the ecosystem attended the event and expressed their interest in this transition.

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Related Links

👉 www.asml.com 
👉 www.tsmc.com/english  

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