Intel Foundry and ASML Advance High-NA EUV Mass Production Applications

Intel Foundry and ASML said on September 8 that they are continuing to advance the mass-production use of High-NA extreme ultraviolet lithography. Intel said it has processed more than 1 million wafers through early equipment qualification, R&D and some mass-production steps, and that High-NA EUV is already being used in mass production for some layers of its Core Ultra 3 “Panther Lake” processors, according to Jiemian News. Intel also said products made with High-NA EUV on its 18A process have performance that matches or exceeds comparable layers made with the traditional 0.33 numerical-aperture EUV platform. The two companies said they will keep working to move masks from the current 6-inch format to larger 6×12-inch masks, while also using mask stitching technology to let customers capture some of the benefits of High-NA EUV with existing 6-inch masks.