ASML, the leading lithography equipment manufacturer, has announced significant progress in its High Numerical Aperture (High NA) Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) technology. Greet Storms, Senior Vice President of Product Management for ASML High NA EUV, shared these updates during the IC forum at the SEMICON Taiwan 2026 international semiconductor exhibition.
Milestones Achieved in High NA EUV Adoption
ASML revealed that its High NA EUV systems have collectively exposed over 1.35 million wafers. This milestone signifies a crucial step towards the mass production readiness of this advanced patterning technology. Currently, 10 High NA EUV machines are operational across four customer sites, with an additional three units undergoing shipment and installation.
Performance and Future Outlook
The first production-ready High NA EUV system, the TWINSCAN EXE:5200B, has already achieved a throughput of 135 wafers per hour, meeting the specifications for mass production. ASML has ambitious plans to further enhance this performance, aiming for a throughput exceeding 180 wafers per hour in the future.
Furthermore, the fleet availability of the High NA EUV machines has reached an impressive 84%. The company projects this figure to climb to 90% by the end of the year and aims for a long-term availability of 93%. High fleet availability is critical for semiconductor manufacturers relying on these cutting-edge machines for high-volume production.
Technological Impact of High NA EUV
ASML highlighted the significant technological capabilities of High NA EUV, stating that its imaging performance can support the technical requirements for up to five future 2D DRAM process nodes. This advanced technology is also expected to play a role in optimizing chip designs by potentially reducing the total number of metal layers required for interconnects in advanced process nodes.
The development and deployment of ASML’s High NA EUV technology represent a pivotal moment for the semiconductor industry. As chip complexity continues to increase, the demand for more advanced lithography solutions like High NA EUV becomes paramount. These machines are essential for manufacturers aiming to produce next-generation memory and logic chips with enhanced performance and efficiency.
The successful deployment and increasing operational status of these systems underscore the industry’s confidence in ASML’s roadmap and its commitment to pushing the boundaries of semiconductor manufacturing technology.
